Lonely Shugo II
by Shadow Quil
Summary: What happens to Haruno Sakura in the world of Shugo Chara after the big battle with Utau? Will her life just keep turning upside down, or will she eventually find peace? Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Shugo Chara, but all OCs belong to me. Sequel to Lonely Shugo
1. The Story Continues

Chapter One

The sun outside was burning hot, and Sakura sat at the dining room table, hard at work. Her summer homework was simple, the answers appearing in her mind moments after reading the questions, though she had been working on the question sheets for days. As this process seemed so easy, you would think Sakura would have her homework done by now, rather than it taking hours upon hours to complete. However, there is one factor I have failed to mention, and this is keeping her from concentrating.

"Pay attention to me," Ikuto demanded, poking Sakura's temple and causing her to twitch, gripping her pencil tightly. She turned her glare to him and, seeing that he had her full attention, Ikuto smirked. He stole her pencil and lifted it, holding it up above his head.

"Give that back!" she demanded, standing on her chair to reach. As her fingertips brushed the writing utensil, Ikuto brought it back down – to the height of his waist – and she scowled at him, grumpily getting off the chair and sitting in it, her head in her hands.

"You're so pouty, Saku-chan!" giggled Katsumi, twirling around on the table by Sakura's homework.

"Leave her be, Katsumi," warned Setsuko as she read over what had already been done, looking for spelling mistakes.

"You're no fun!" pouted the red Chara, crossing her arms.

"Now, now," Ikuto cooed at the pink-haired girl, waving the pencil in front of her face. "If you had just paid attention to me in the first place, this wouldn't have happened," he taunted, earning a glare from the frustrated girl.

"I haven't slept in two weeks, Ikuto," Sakura growled at him, "can you just give it a break?"

"Why not?" asked the teen, concerned for her. Ikuto put the pencil down on the table, kneeling beside her.

"It's just Tsubasa," she sighed, shaking her head. "He won't sleep through the night. Yaya sleeps through the crying like a baby, but I'm awake as soon as he starts whimpering."

"That baby crying is _torture_!" growled Mari, shaking her head. "You're lucky _you_ don't live with it," she said to Yoru, who was trying to sneak up behind Katsumi to pull her hair. He snapped away, an innocent look on his face when the red Chara glared at him.

"What makes you say that?" he asked Mari.

"Your sensitive ears would be damaged," explained Mitsu, who was lounging by the window, attempting to tan in the sun. "Now, be a dear and get me some fizzy, would you?"

"No way," grumbled Yoru, shaking his head. Mitsu's golden eyes snapped over to him and she raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Wanna run that by me again?" she dared, narrowing her eyes. Yoru gulped, shaking his head rapidly, before shooting off towards the kitchen.

"I'll make sure he doesn't break anything," Mari sighed, rolling her eyes and going into the kitchen after him.

"Mitsu, stop ordering Yoru around," Sakura muttered, trying to get back to her homework. She rubbed her temples, trying to ease her headache.

"Maybe moving in with your friend Yaya wasn't the best idea," Ikuto commented, holding her hand gently.

"Saku-chi wanted to live with be because I'm her best friend!" proclaimed Yaya from the doorway, one hand on her hip as she used the other to point an accusing finger at Ikuto.

"That's right – dechu!" added Pepe before she floated over to Setsuko, who almost immediately began babying her. Sakura had found that, along with being feminine and delicate, Setsuko was also rather nurturing, which came in handy living with Yaya and Tsubasa.

"She was also the only person with enough space," Sakura added on with a small smirk. "There was a spare room, so Yaya's mother said I could stay here as long as I needed. It was nice of her, but I don't want to impose longer than necessary."

"Saku-chi, we have to leave soon!" said Yaya, still speaking loudly. "We're supposed to help Kairi's sister move into her new office, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," the pinkette nodded. "You go on ahead; I'll catch up in a bit, okay?"

"Okie-Dokie!" she agreed happily, skipping towards the door with Pepe beside her. Yaya suddenly stopped, swirling around to fix Ikuto with a deadly look, her Chara copying the look. "Don't do anything I'll make you regret!" she growled.

"Dechu!" added Pepe, also growling. The two were secretly rooting for Kukai to win Sakura's heart, but Yaya was too nice to say anything to the pinkette and Pepe had promised not to mention it. With the warning given, Yaya and Pepe hummed merrily as they left the house.

"She can be quite intimidating when she wants to be," Ikuto confessed, still looking at the door the orange-haired girl had left through.

"Aww, is little Iku-chan scared of the Big Bad Baby?" cooed Sakura, pinching his cheek. Ikuto lifted her hand away from his cheek, holding it in his palm as he traced her fingers.

"Hurry up and grow, Sakura," he sighed, letting go of her hand. Sakura frowned, standing up straight from the chair.

"I _have_ grown," she told him, placing a hand atop her head to measure her height. Ikuto chuckled, shaking his head.

"Not what I meant," he smirked, patting her head. "Where're her parents, anyway?" he asked, looking around.

"Out," replied Sakura, turning again to her homework. Yoru came back in with a small cup of pineapple fizzy for Mitsu, Mari following behind him. Katsumi was still pouting, and Setsuko had gone back to checking Sakura work once Pepe had left.

"I see," hummed Ikuto, tilting her head towards him. The teen leant down and kissed her forehead gently before pulling back and leaving the Yuiki house through the front door, Yoru floating by his shoulder. Sakura, her hand covering her forehead where his lips had been, stared after him.

"That was weird," she muttered, blinking.

"That was love," Mitsu sighed dreamily, having been watching the exchange with baited breath.

"No way," denied Sakura, her face red as she attempted to focus on her homework again. Mitsu rolled her eyes, standing and floating over to Sakura.

"Sweetie, I haven't been around long," she said with a flourish. Sakura was well aware that she was the youngest, but Mitsu often acted like she should have been the oldest. "However, even _I_ can see the way that boy _pines_ over you!"

"It's true, Saku-chan," nodded Mari, agreeing with her younger sister.

"As the only love-based Chara here," Katsumi said, no longer pouting, as she cleared her throat, "I would like to announce that Ikuto and Sakura are completely _in love_ with each other!" she giggled.

"Stop it!" whined the pinkette, looking desperately towards her final Chara.

"Sorry, Saku-chan," Setsuko said meekly, "but I must agree with my sisters in this instance. You and Ikuto-san seem to have a warm 'new-couple' feel about you as of late."

"Argh!" groaned Sakura, slamming her head on the table. She looked at her outstretched hand, her head still on the table, and stared at her right ring finger, a pale circle of skin betraying what once sat there.

"Well, hey," Mari began comfortingly, "if you don't want to date Ikuto, there's always Kukai."

"He _is_ more in your age-range," agreed Mitsu, pulling a pair of sunglasses out of nowhere and slipping them on.

"The wedding would practically take care of itself, since his mother seems to type to go crazy over that kind of thing," continued Setsuko.

"Woo, Sakukai all the way!" cheered Katsumi with a wide grin.

"Stop planning my love life!"

"There's also Kairi," hummed Setsuko.

"Stop it!"

{-}

After failing to defuse the wedding planners, Sakura had given up and decided to get ready to leave instead. So, after slipping into a baby blue plaid knee-skirt complete with a white t-shirt, baby yellow zip-up jumper and brown ankle-boots, Sakura found herself standing in front of a mirror, trying to fix her hair. Getting the waist-length locks into a neat ponytail proved impossible for her, and any lower style left them too long to do anything practical. So, she stood in front of the mirror, frowning. Her eyes wandered, finding her right ring finger once more.

"We just need to brush it through a few more times," soothes Setsuko, at first believing the scowl was directed at the pink locks. She then followed Sakura's gaze and sighed lightly. "It is the past, Saku-chan."

"It doesn't feel much like a past event yet," Sakura replied quickly, clenching her fist. "Sure, a lot has changed since then, but it was still only a little while ago – I'm not much different to how I was then."

"You're closer to your friends," Katsumi piped up cheerfully.

"You have a lot more will power," Mari grinned, hoping to also encourage her owner.

"You have not only one, nor two, but _three_ young men bending to your every whim," Mitsu added in with a delighted giggle.

"I don't _feel_ different," she stressed, staring hard at herself in the mirror. An idea struck the young pinkette and she smiled, grabbing a pair of light yellow fingerless gloves and pulling them on before walking out her room, her Charas following behind her. Before she left the house, she picked up her old blue baseball cap.

{-}

Sakura paused, tilting her head at the sight before her. Amu and Utau were yelling at each other, both looking angry yet slightly unsure of why they were fighting. She blinked, fully prepared to turn around and go home. It was then she remembered why she had agreed to help Kairi's sister move into her new office and she sighed. Adjusting the hat that sat atop her head – finding comfort in the familiarity – Sakura tightened the knotted sleeves of her yellow jumper around her waist and walked towards them.

"Ah, Saku-chi's here!" called Yaya, hoping that her arrival would break up the fighting. Instead, Sakura was the new victim of Utau's glare.

"The true enemy has arrived!" she announced, pointing a finger dramatically at the green-eyed pinkette. Sakura raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Why am I the true enemy?" she asked, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

"Ikuto has spent every day this summer with you!" the singer scowled. Yaya and Amu began laughing – knowing how Utau got with the people who keep Ikuto from her – while Tadase and Rima watched the exchange in amusement. Kairi, however, looked away, frowning.

"It's not my fault that he's clingy," Sakura shrugged, walking closer to the group with her hands in her pockets. Yaya gasped, suddenly appearing at her side, and Sakura jumped. "D-Don't move so suddenly!" she scolded, but Yaya wasn't listening.

"You're not tiny anymore!" she realised, measuring herself against Sakura. The others all moved closer, each taking a turn to measure their height against the once miniscule pinkette.

"You're taller than me," muttered Rima and Sakura sweat-dropped.

"I have been for a while," she replied.

"I'm still taller than you," boasted Amu proudly.

"At the rate she's growing, you won't be for long," Utau smirked, who had also decided to compare her height to Sakura's.

"Well, you're gonna stop growing soon!" yelled Amu, puffing up in anger. This once again started the arguing between the two.

"You're taller than me, Saku-chi!" complained Yaya, pouting. Sakura beamed, proud of this fact, but then the boys stood on either side of her.

"You know, you'll probably never be taller than us," smiled Tadase, a teasing tone hiding beneath his innocent smile. "You're going through your growth spurt now, but we still haven't had ours."

"You diminutive stature is proof that, even when you're fully grown, you will likely not exceed 5'5", if that," Kairi stated. Sakura crossed her arms and pouted, huffing at them.

"Way to ruin my good mood," she grumbled.

"It's irrelevant," Utau stated, drawing out of her argument with Amu. "No matter how tall or short you are, I will not surrender Ikuto to you."

"You can't anyway," Sakura brushed off. "He's not yours to surrender," she smirked.

"How dare you!" shrieked Utau, glaring at the pinkette venomously.

"U-Uhh, didn't we come here to help them move?" hinted Yaya, sweat dropping as she and the others watched Utau and Sakura glare at each other. Suddenly, Yaya noticed something else about Sakura that was new – something that she couldn't have picked up sooner due to living with the pinkette. Nudging Amu, she gained the taller pinkette's attention and pointed to Sakura, tugging on one of her own carrot-coloured pigtails to further emphasis her point.

"Your hair!" gasped Amu when the clues clicked together. Everyone did a double-take, staring at Sakura.

Her once hip-length locks had been chopped up to her shoulder-blades, and her forehead-covering fringe was pulled back and to the sides, leaving two long locks to frame her face. Her blue baseball hat sat snugly on her head, combining the old Sakura-look of a hat, plain t-shirt and tied jumper with the new girly Sakura-look of pastel colours, ankle boots and a skirt. As if to further emphasis this merging of the two, her shorter hair made her look less 'cutesy' and more feminine – surprisingly, a lack of length had added a maturity to her look that previously wasn't there.

"It looks so pretty," said Yaya happily, playing with one of the shorter strands as she spoke.

"It's definitely different," agreed Amu, looking at the haircut from a few different angles. Rima walked over, staring at her shorted hair while playing with her own lengthy curls, a contemplative look on her face.

"I don't think the shorter-look is for you, Mashiro-san," Sakura told her bluntly, her face deadpan. Rima blinked once, shrugged, and stopped playing with her hair – she looked good with long hair anyway. "Moving on, aren't we here to do a job?" she said, hoping to distract everyone from her new look.

Agreeing, the small group set to work moving boxes and unpacking files, equipment and random office supplies. It took a while, even with Nikaidou Yuu being forced to help along with the other seven bodies at work. Yukari did none of the heavy lifting, instead choosing to stand in her new office, barking orders at everyone and claiming it was good practice for her new CEO role in her not-even-established company.

Eventually, however, all of the moving was finished and everything was either unpacked or at least in the building, allowing for the moving van Yukari hired to be on its way. Deciding to celebrate the completion of her move into the building, Yukari had ordered pizza and poured drinks of orange fizzy for everyone to have after their hard day's work. They were all stood around the table, holding their fizzy, when Yukari began to speak.

"Now then," began Yukari, holding up a cup of orange fizzy, "let's toast to the bright future of Sanjo Production! Cheers!"

"Cheers!" everyone followed, lifting their cups before taking a drink. Yaya, who had two, drained her first quickly and was already finishing her second by the time Sakura had finished half of her own. Suu was catering for the Charas, with miniature pizza, snacks and drinks to match what their owners were eating.

Rima took a bite of her pizza, only to create a line of melted cheese to her mouth, causing Kusukusu and Tadase, who was stood beside her, to laugh at the confusion on her face. Yaya was being praised by Amu for managing to tip a whole plate of crisps into her mouth at once, the pinkette seeming extremely impressed. Sakura was stood to the side, sipping her drink and enjoying the company of her old friends while avoiding Kairi – she still had trouble being around him after he gave her the ring that ruined her life, despite him and his sister promising that he had no idea what it would do.

Kairi spent his time watching the smaller pinkette, remembering back to how they met and her initial dislike of him – purely because he was not Soma Kukai and was sitting in his chair. Thinking of this made him frown, as this reminded him that Sakura still favoured Kukai over him, especially so after the whole ring fiasco. He had yet to overcome the guilt he felt as a result of that. When Sakura felt the heavy stare, she looked over, narrowing her eyes at him and forcing Kairi to look away.

"Hmm?" mused Yaya with a giggle, "Looks like the Chairman's staring at Saku-chi again!" she accused, spurring very different reactions from the two. Sakura was calm, rolling her eyes and sighing, while Kairi became a nervous bumbler.

"N-No, I mean, I wasn't –!" he stuttered, stumbling over his excuses.

"Just admit it," smiled Utau teasingly, "You were staring."

"Y-Yes," confessed Kairi, his face extremely red. Kairi was saved from his embarrassment when his sister cleared her throat, though he knew from her serious expression that the situation was about to become harder.

"Kairi, don't you have something to tell them?" she prompted from her place beside Yuu. Kairi's blush vanished and instead he looked sad, his eyes downcast and his expression hesitant.

"What is it, Chairman?" asked Amu curiously.

"To be honest," he began slowly, "the office isn't all that's moving," he informed the group. Sakura froze, her whole body going cold. "I am as well. I've decided to go back to my hometown," Kairi said with a seemingly happy smile.

"Your hometown?" repeated Tadase, the atmosphere of the room switching instantly from joyous to gloomy. "Isn't that in...?"

"Yamaguchi," Kairi finished for him. Tears sprung to Sakura's eyes and she put down her half-empty cup and plate of barely-touched food before running out of the building, unable to stay a moment longer.

"Saku-chan!" called Katsumi loudly as her Chara hurried after her. When they caught up to Sakura, who was still running as fast as she could away from Sanjo Productions, they saw that her face was streaked with tears and she was still crying. After a few more minutes of mindless movement, Sakura found herself in the park, where she allowed herself to fall onto a bench and continue to cry.

"This can't happen again!" she sobbed, hiccupping and wiping at her face. "I'm tired of this! I keep losing my friends – I'm mad at him right now, but I still like Kairi! He can't go away, not like Fujisaki-san, and Naruto, and Sasuke, and everyone else!"

"Saku-chan, everything will be alright in the end," soothed Setsuko softly, patting the pinkette's head. "These things happen for a reason."

"I just wish I _knew_ that reason," she sniffed. "Then maybe it wouldn't be so hard to see him go."

"Someone I should know about? Perhaps a boy?" a very familiar voice asked from in front of her. Without a moment's pause, Sakura was up from her seat and crying into this person's chest as they held her tightly.

"How did you know to come?" she asked, her voice muffled by their shirt. The person chuckled, holding her even more firmly – protectively.

"I'll always know when my little Sakura needs me," the person said softly, holding Sakura's shoulders as she brushed strands of hair away from her wet face. "Now, you tell me what's be happening that's gotten you in such a state, and I'll make everything better again, okay?" they smiled. Sakura sniffed, wiping her eyes and smiling back.

"Okay."

{-}

After a long conversation and many tears, Sakura had received a text stating that Kairi was leaving soon and telling her what time to be at the airport to say goodbye. She was contemplating not going – saying goodbye was never her strong point – but a few comforting words from her Charas and the person she had run into had convinced her to wish Kairi well.

So, she stood in the airport, watching from a distance as Kairi said his goodbyes to his sister and the Guardians. She felt out of place after running away from him, but knew that she would regret it if she didn't see him off. So, gathering her courage, Sakura stepped towards the green-haired youth while her Charas floated quickly towards Musashi to say goodbye to their small friend.

"Kairi," she called when she realised that he would be boarding before she got to him. He turned, his eyes widening when he saw her. Sakura stood in front of him and smiled sadly. "I'll miss you – a lot," she said quietly, looking down at her feet. When another pair of shoes came into view, Sakura looked up, finding Kairi a lot closer to her than before. She was about to take a step backwards, but he grasped her hand.

"I was hoping you would be here, because there I something I need to say to you that I would always regret not saying," Kairi told her, nothing but seriousness in his voice. "I am not sorry to get to this before any others, and I will gladly outdo them."

"Get to what?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

"Haruno Sakura, I love you," confessed Kairi, getting wide-eyes from everyone who heard, including Sakura. "I love you for your intellect and your naïvety, for your kindness and your grouchiness, and for everything that you are."

"Grouchiness?" she mumbled, her eyelids dropping, unimpressed by his phrasing.

"I must depart now," he continued, "but one day, when I am a man worthy of your love, and of the love I feel for you, I shall definitely see you again – even if I have to search the furthest reaches of the Earth and follow you into the coldest mountains and hottest deserts during your future travels, just to be by your side."

"I – I – I –" stuttered Sakura, completely unsure of what to say. Kairi merely smiled, proud for rendering the every witty Haruno Sakura speechless.

'_Top that Tsukiyomi, Soma,_' he thought smugly.

"Shouldn't you give a cool reply, Saku-chi?" hinted Yaya 'discretely' while Ran, Miki, Suu, Katsumi and Pepe squealed in delight. Setsuko rolled her eyes – Kairi wasn't supposed to be the first to confess, after all – and Mari just yawned, not overly bothered; she knew Sakura only liked older guys, after all. Kusukusu was laughing at Sakura's inability to respond while Kiseki waited patiently for the exchange to end.

"Kairi, we must be off," said Musashi, reminding his smiling master of their departing plane.

"Right," he nodded, the two turning to board. Sakura saw him leaving and panicked, doing the first thing that came to mind. She pushed forwards, grabbing the back of his shirt and forcing him to stop and turn, facing her – both blushed heavily and Sakura gulped.

"T-Thank you," she said, managing to speak somewhat normally. "I don't know how to respond to you properly, so..."

"That's fine," Kairi assured her happily. "Even to have to acknowledge my confession is enough for now."

"Okay," she breathed, letting him go. "I'll see you again," she said, stepping back.

"Without a doubt," promised the green-haired youth, smiling at his love before finally boarding the plane.

Sakura stayed with the Guardians until the plane took off, watching them wave pointlessly – there was no way Kairi could have seen them. Still, she remained until his transport was out of sight, but regretted it as soon as Amu and Yaya turned on her, a menacing glint of glee sparkling in their eyes. She backed away as they moved closer to her, identical grins spread across their faces.

"I've never seen you with so little to say," hummed Yaya.

"Could it be – you like him back?" Amu challenged, pointing a finger at the smaller pinkette. Sakura scowled, batting the hand away and shrugging.

"The only time I've been confess to was by a girl who thought I was a boy, remember?" she reminded them, thinking back to Yuki. "I had no idea how to react, especially to a confession that heart-felt. I didn't want to reject him and regret it, nor did I want to accept him and end up lamenting over that."

"Lamenting?" repeated Tadase.

"One of my words," smiled Setsuko.

"By the way, Yaya," Sakura said suddenly, her whole face brightening, "I'll be moving out as soon as I have my things packed."

"What?" the orange-haired girl whined. "You have nowhere to go! Wait!" she gasped, turning and glaring at Amu and Rima, "Are one of you stealing her from me?" she accused. Amu began making excusing, but Rima remained silent, and Sakura laughed.

"No, no," she promised. "I love living with you Yaya, but someone I dearly love has gotten a house near the school and asked me to move in. I said 'yes', of course."

"Well," Yaya considered, shaking her head. "Last time we left you alone, you ended up being all evil and stuff."

"Don't worry," Sakura assured, waving off her concern. "The person I'm moving in with is a responsible adult," she promised. Her phone beeped and she checked it, smiling. "That's them now," she said, reading her text.

_I'm outside – are you ready to leave?_

"I have to go," Sakura said, putting her phone away. "I'll see you all after summer if I don't see you before, and I'll pick up my stuff later, okay, Yaya?"

"Okay," agreed Yaya, slightly put-out but glad Sakura seemed so happy. She just hoped she wasn't moving in with Ikuto...

Sakura left the airport, quickly spotting the car her new legal guardian was waiting in and hurrying over. She climbed into the passenger side, smiling at the person in the driver's seat. The person smiled back and, as soon as Sakura was buckled in, they set off back to their home – and Sakura's new home – so that the pinkette could get settled in. Everything had already been finalised and decided, with the exception of a few last pieces of paperwork, and Sakura couldn't be happier.

"Thank you for this, Tsunade."

"My pleasure, kiddo," the honey-eyed blonde smiled at her young charge.


	2. Sing Sing Sing

Chapter Two

When Sakura woke up, the feeling of being at home struck her instantly. She could hear Tsunade in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, and she could see her Chara Eggs, all set together in a small, cushioned box beside the doll house she had set up for them. Her room was bare, with plain blue walls and a simple white carpet, since she'd had little time to decorate it, yet she felt more secure in this room than she had ever felt in her other places of residence.

"Sakura, time to wake up!" called Tsunade, the sound immediately followed by a squeal and taps against her door. Sakura swept out of bed, shoving the covers aside, and opened her bedroom door for Tonton, Tsunade's little pet pig, to enter. The gilt sniffed around the room before squealing at Sakura and nudging her out.

Tonton, much like most domestic pigs, is of a light pinkish colour, though her cheeks seem to be a darker shade of the same pink as her skin. She, as always, was wearing a pearl collar and a dark red jacket, both items given to her by Shizune – Tsunade's friend and intern as well as Uchiha Sasuke's aunt. The small pig seemed to be somewhat of a mascot at Tsunade's old workplace, and everyone was sad to see her – as well as Tsunade – leave.

Luckily, with her reputation, it was not hard for Tsunade to find work in a nearby hospital – not as Chief of Medicine, like her old job, but a surgeon. She claimed to love going back to her roots, though anyone could tell she slightly missed being the boss-lady, even if it took a lot of convincing to get her to take the job in the first place. Shizune herself had just gotten past the interview stage with the hospital, managing to gain a place as a surgical intern – exactly like her last place – and things were looking up.

"Morning, Tsunade," Sakura greeted cheerfully as she entered the kitchen and took a seat at the table.

"Morning, Sakura," the woman smiled, placing a plate of waffles on the table in front of her. "Shizune will be over soon, so don't take a second helping until after she's got some. We have to head off to work soon."

"No worries," the pinkette assured her, unthinking separating off four pieces of waffle to make four smaller waffles, "I have to head to school soon anyway."

"Oh, right," nodded the blonde. "You have that 'Summer School' thing, right?"

"Yep," she said, taking a bite of her food. "This is really good."

"Thank you," smiled Tsunade as she sipped her coffee. "Sakura, in all seriousness, I want you to know that I offered to take you in because I couldn't stand the thought of you going through your childhood with strangers. It was only a matter of time before social services picked you up and shoved you into foster care. Still – are you okay with this?"

"Tsunade," Sakura began slowly, "You've been looking after me for a long time – even after I left Gakure. All you had to be was a landlady, but you became almost like a mother. I went to you for advice, help with homework, even just when I was kinda lonely. I missed you, and I'm really glad that you wanted to take me in," she smiled genuinely, tears in her eyes.

"Always, sweet girl," hummed the honey-eyed surgeon.

Sakura finished her breakfast as Shizune walked in and, after bidding the dark-haired woman good morning, the pinkette returned to her room to prepare herself for the day. The left the mini-waffles by her Chara Eggs, knowing the smell would wake them up, and went into the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth. After drying off and wrapping her hair in a towel, Sakura returned to her room wearing a dressing gown, smiling when she saw her Charas eating the waffles.

"Morning, girls," she said happily, walking to her wardrobe. She pulled out her school uniform, placing it on her bed while she plugged in the hairdryer and took the towel off her head before drying her pink locks. After her hair was done, she dressed, leaving her shirt un-tucked, her blazer un-buttoned and her tie slightly loosened.

"This is gonna suck," complained Mari, storing her food in her cheek for the moment. Setsuko gave her a disapproving look.

"It'll be fun!" Katsumi, who had already finished her waffle, grinned.

"You _do_ realise that the only male Chara present will be Kiseki," commented Mitsu lazily, her eyes half-lidded as she observed her oldest sister's reaction to this news. As predicted, her face fell.

"Mari's right," she huffed, crossing her arms grumpily, "this is gonna suck."

{-}

_I think Sakura might be dating Ikuto...Weird, huh? – H. Amu_

Kukai stared long and hard at the message on his phone. He read it and re-read it over and over, but that only served to make the message less of a bad dream.

_I think Sakura might be dating Ikuto_

This wasn't supposed to happen. Sakura was supposed to see how much she meant to him. _He_ was supposed to be with Sakura.

_Sakura might be dating Ikuto_

It was all wrong. The Black Cat didn't deserve her. _She_ didn't deserve the trouble he caused. Who else could be to blame for Sakura getting mixed up with Easter?

_Sakura __**is**__ with Ikuto_

He must have tricked her somehow! That was the only explanation. Ikuto was a lying thief – there's no way Sakura would willingly choose him over the Guardians, over her friends; over him!

Still, he couldn't help but wonder – did she really like him? It would seem so, judging by how he saw the two interact when Sakura was sick, and from the way Ikuto rejected that girl before, he knew the Black Cat liked her, too. It worried him, because Ikuto was a serious threat, yet it was also soothing to know that, even if she picked Ikuto over him, he actually cared for her. That did not, by any means, imply that Kukai was giving up without a fight!

Quite the opposite...

{-}

"And so," Tadase concluded, "our Seiyo Elementary will be participating in the Choral Competition. The event will take place during summer vacation, so let's all do a great job together!"

"It's a bit sudden," Yaya chimed in, "but we're gonna decide who'll be playing the piano and singing the solo now. Let's audition!" she cheered. The crowd buzzed with excitement, but Sakura yawned.

"Audition!" prompted Katsumi, trying with all her might to lift Sakura from her chair. The pinkette rolled her eyes, twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"I can't sing," she said firmly, "and I can only play one song on the piano, remember? However..." the pinkette trailed off. She thought for a moment before standing from her seat and approaching the Guardians, who were surrounded now by people wanting to audition.

"Is Haruno-san going to re-join the Guardians?" whispered an excited fourth grader to her friend.

"Of course!" the other nodded proudly. "It was, after all, only a matter of time!"

"Why did she quit, anyway?" questioned a boy near them.

"No one knows," explained a girl from fifth grade. "That's part of what makes her –!"

"Cool and Mysterious!" interrupted Manami and Wanaka, glaring at the girl who almost said one of their catchphrases. Smiling at the pair, Sakura made her way through the parting crowd and tapped Amu on the shoulder. The taller pinkette turned, smiling when she noticing Sakura.

"Yes?" she asked curiously as their Charas began chatting to each other.

"I was wondering if you needed a set designer," Sakura told her calmly, her eyes wandering over the other Guardians as she spoke. "I've never really gotten involved much with school activities, so I wanted to change that."

"That would be great," agreed Tadase. "Having a beautifully designed set could put us apart from the other competing school. Good idea, Haruno-san!"

"No problem," she nodded. "Just text me the details later – I have to go for now."

"Mama will let you in, Saku-chi!" called Yaya, "Your stuff is by the door in your room, okay?"

"Thanks, Yaya," grinned the pinkette. Subtly, she gestured to her four Charas to follow her before they all left the school grounds – no one questioned that Sakura was, technically, skipping.

{-}

After transferring her belongings from Yaya's home to her new one, Sakura felt all her worries being lifted. The Easter drama was over, she and Ikuto were on good terms, she had stopped being a burden on her friend, Tsunade and Shizune were back as permanent fixtures in her life, and she was getting along well in school. Everything seemed to be going well for her, and even her Charas were all settling into this new peaceful atmosphere by upping their ability to annoy her.

"Sakura!" she heard from behind her, so she turned. To her surprise, she found Kukai – in jeans, a t-shirt and unlaced trainers – running to catch up to her.

"Hey, Kukai," she said in greeting as her Charas pounced on Daichi – literally, in Katsumi's case. "What's up?"

"Well, I was just going for a walk, and I spotted you," he laughed, lying through his teeth.

In reality, Yaya – who was a big Sakukai fan – had texted him, telling him that Sakura was out of school and would probably be wandering around the park, as she tended to do on hot afternoons when she was bored. Thank Yaya mentally, Kukai continued to grin at the pinkette, only then noticing how different she looked compared to the last time he had seen her.

"Did you cut your hair?" he asked, reaching towards one of the shorter strands with his a curious look. Smiling a little, Sakura shrugged and batted his hand away.

"I just wanted a change, is all," she waved it off. "How have you been?"

"Good," he smiled, nodding. "You?" the boy returned.

"Fine," she said. The two then lulled into an awkward silence, both unsure of how to continue the conversation, as they walked together. Kukai began whistling a little, though stopped when he got a glare from an old woman feeding the birds. Sakura giggled at this and he grinned, the awkwardness of the situation dissipating as the two settled into each other's company.

"There's a really good Dango shop around here," Kukai mentioned, mentally smiling smugly when her eyes lit up.

"Lead the way," Sakura gestured.

{-}

Kukai was trying not to panic. Sakura was walking along beside him, smiling, and her Charas were chatting with Daichi. It seemed perfect, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen to ruin this for him. In his mental run-throughs of how his day would be destroyed, Ikuto seemed to be the main perpetrator in all of them. Mentally scowling at the thought of the black cat, Kukai somehow managed to keep a straight face outwardly.

The rest of the outing went well, with pleasant conversation, catching up and a nice meal of Dango – which made Sakura extremely happy. She mentioned that she was designing the stage for the school choir competition and he told her that he was made Captain of his school's soccer team, leading Sakura to promise to come to his first game.

Eventually, their time together had to end, so Kukai walked Sakura part of the way home, made further plans to hang out, and they went their separate ways.

Sakura was glad to have caught up with her friend.

Kukai was annoyed that they were still 'just friends'.

{-}

Sakura arrived at the school a few minutes after the school's singing rehearsal finished in order to begin planning the decorations for the stage. She turned the corner into the courtyard, raising an eyebrow and coming to a halt when she saw Amu on her knees, looking completely exhausted. Katsumi and Mari had to smother giggles at her haggard appearance while Setsuko shook her head demurely and Mitsu rolled her eyes.

"I even suck at karaoke," wept Amu.

"So do I," admitted Sakura, causing Amu to jump. "The difference being; I didn't then sign up to sing the solo."

"Neither did I!" cried the Cool and Spicy student, "It was that brat Seiichiro!"

"Now, now," Sakura soothed mockingly, walking over and helping Amu up. "I thought this singing thing was for sun, right?"

"Y-Yeah," nodded Amu. Sakura sighed, an easy smile spreading across her face.

"Then loosen up and have fun," she laughed, patting Amu on the shoulder. "Go home and get some rest – I have some work to do."

"You want any help?"

"Even if I did, you need to get some sleep," rejected Sakura. Suddenly, they heard someone singing – very badly – and both looked up.

"Do you hear that?" asked the taller pinkette, standing.

"Yeah," nodded Sakura. "Maybe you should check it out, Amu."

"Why me?" freaked the girl. Sakura smirked, snapping her fingers.

"_I_ have a job to complete," she reminded her. "Bye-bye, Amu-san~!" she sang cheerfully, practically skipping into the school while Amu yelled at her to 'stop singing'. Smiling to herself, she pulled out her phone, checking the time.

"Is he going to be here soon?" asked Katsumi, excited.

"Very soon," nodded Sakura, looking towards the doors when she heard footsteps.

"Ahh, it's good to be back!" called Kukai as he burst into the assembly hall, his arms spread and Daichi floating above his shoulder.

{-}

"Tomorrow is finally our real performance," Tadase announced, lifting his baton to conduct the music, "so this is our last rehearsal. Everyone, please excuse having Haruno-san in the background, but she needs to do work, also, so let's sing a beautiful tune for her to work to," he prompted. Sakura rolled her eyes, but everyone seemed inspired when they began singing, so she remained silent and continued to glue glitter onto the stars she had cut out. They almost got through the first line, but the pianist, Hatanaka Marimo, when a little wrong.

"I'm sorry," she apologised with a slightly embarrassed smile. "Can we try that part again?" the girl requested.

"Of course," allowed the King's Chair, motioning for everyone to start from the top.

"No, you cannot!" rejected Saaya from in front of the stage. "If you botch such a simple song now, what, do you think, will happen tomorrow?" she challenged, her arms folded and her clones stood around her, mimicking her pose.

"Perhaps it would have been better if Saaya-sama had been chosen to play the accompaniment after all," taunted one of the clones.

"It'll be fine," Tadase shot down, slightly irritated as he turned away from them and towards the pianist. "Once more, from the top," he told her.

"If it were Saaya-sama," picked up another one of Saaya's followers, "the grand prize wouldn't just be a dream."

"Yeah," agreed the original clone, "you'd definitely win."

"Why're they being so mean?" pouted Katsumi, crossing her arms in anger.

"That's just who they are," said Mari, fighting against the glue holding her to the floor. Setsuko saw her sister's plight and moved to help her while Mitsu accidentally spilt an entire tub of gold glitter onto the stage.

"I'm sorry," apologised the girl at the piano, "I'll try harder."

"No matter how hard you try," another from Saaya's group interrupted, "will it ever be good enough?" she smirked. Sakura scowled as Marimo flinched back and Amu moved to speak, but was cut off by none other than Seiichiro.

"Music is about having fun with sound!" he declared confidently, "So, winning isn't what's important. What's important is to have fun participating!"

"Huh?" drawled Saaya, bored, "If you're not aiming for the grand prize, then what _are_ you aiming for? Just participating? What's the point in that? Doesn't everyone want to win?" she asked the group.

"Well, winning would be nice," agreed one group of girls quietly as the rest of the group muttered affirmatives.

"Hey, we all chose her!" yelled Yaya, standing up for the slowly less confident pianist.

"The masses are always fickle," spoke the voice of experience, Rima.

"Please, calm down, everyone," Tadase said, attempting to salvage the situation with words.

"If you're going to do something," spoke Saaya, her voice final, "there's no point unless you're number one. Saying 'it's okay to be average', or 'just to have fun'," she shorted, "Those are merely excuses for people who can't be number one! Is there even any point in doing something if you can't distinguish yourself?"

"The grand prize?" considered one of the boys.

"It might be impossible with our current accompanist," the boy beside him stated unsurely.

"Everyone!" attempted Tadase again, only to be interrupted by the sound of the piano fall board closing. They all looked over, seeing the girl on her feet, looking down in sadness. "Hatanaka-san," the blonde said in concern.

"I'm okay," she told them, looking up but not meeting anyone's eye. "I think it would be better if someone else did it," the girl attempted, smiling at them all weakly. "Excuse me," she then said, turning and running out of the room. Amu followed soon after, going to check on the girl.

With no other choice, Saaya was allowed onto the stage to play the piano in the other girl's absence. Sakura was not happy about the circumstance but also knew that the musical side of this event was none of her business, so she continued with the decorations. Saaya seated herself at the piano, opened the fall board and rested her fingers on the keys with the grace of someone who obviously knew how to play – unfortunately, Saaya would only play to the beat of her own drum, making her an incompetent accompanist.

"Finally, it is my time to shine," smiled Saaya dreamily. "Now, Tadase-sama – conduct!" she ordered. He looked slightly startled by the command but, with Kiseki, was incapable of standing up for himself.

"Okay," he complied, turning towards the singers. Sakura's fist clenched, but again she remained silent. Before anyone could begin, Saaya began to butcher a song of her own creation, embarrassing even her lackeys with her lack of singing talent.

"This is the perfect song!" announced Saaya, cutting herself off with a flourish of the keys. "We should switch to this instead!"

"It's a little late to learn a new song," Tadase said to subdue her, but Saaya was having none of it.

"Well, if that's the case," she smirked, "I suppose I shall have to play piano _and_ sing lead. Not to worry, I am fully capable of handling both," she assured them all. Unable to stay silent any longer, Sakura stood.

"You're a self-righteous, spoilt, bratty, unaware drama Queen, Yamabuki Saaya, and I'm tired of it," she spat, stepping closer to Saaya with every word. The pompous girl at least had the decency to look slightly afraid. "You tear down a girl who was trying her best, dismiss a boy who finally had the confidence in himself to speak up, take control over an event that you're not really even _interested_ in, and try to command us all like your peons. Not today."

"Haruno-sama," gushed the small gathering while Tadase, Yaya and Rima smiled at her verbal bashing.

{-}

Sakura had just finished placing the final star on the stage-right curtain so that it matched the one on the left – as this was not their school stage, and she had only five minutes, this had to do. The pinkette had to leave the remainder of the stars in the dressing room with the team, slightly disappointed that some of her efforts would go to waste. Rather than make a fuss, however, she finished attaching the stars and took her seat in the second row, just left from the centre.

The singers filed on and Sakura smiled, warmed when she saw them each wearing one of the stars on their left, with their pianist wearing one on each side and another attached to her headband. Amu, of course, had clipped her own to her tie rather than wearing it like everyone else – she had to be different. Seeing them appreciating her efforts, Sakura grinned at them, offering Amu a thumbs-up when she stepped forwards for her solo.

After the performance, she snuck backstage and offered her congrats to the team, all of whom thanked her for the lovely stars she had made. Amu caught her and filled her in on the X-Chara who had appeared while she was setting up the stars on the stage and Yaya had made a 'subtle' comment on how it would have been taken care of quicker if Sakura rejoined the Guardians. She laughed this off, wanting to spend the year at ease rather than fighting.

Regardless, for the first time in a long while, Sakura felt as though she finally belonged.


	3. Feel Too Much

**A/N: Okay, normally I hate having to do author notes, but I felt that I should explain why this update took so long. I've been bogged down with University stuff and I haven't been been feeling too well, either. Anyway, enjoy this update and Merry Christmas!**

Chapter Three

Today was the first day of the second term. Sakura had eventually managed to finish her homework – with surprisingly no further interruptions from Ikuto – and was walking slowly to school, taking in the heat of the sun with a smile on her face. In front of her, she heard girls fawning as they spotted the Guardians, or at least Amu, Rima and Tadase, walking through the school gates together. The squealing and fawning was added to after Tadase greeted them and the boys spotted Rima.

"They are all rather buoyant this morning," commented Setsuko as Sakura stealthily managed to enter the school gates undetected.

"Amu-chi!" she heard the loud cheer of Yaya sound across the courtyard as the carrot-haired girl pounced on her friends, "Good morning!"

"Good morning – dechu!" added Pepe from her side. Yaya sprang forwards and glomped Amu joyfully, Sakura watching with a smile.

As Sakura watched her old friend interact with each other, a strong wind suddenly blew, catching her hair in the gust. She gasped, looking away from the air currents, not noticing everyone suddenly turn in her direction, gaping. When the wind died down, Sakura smoothed out her mussed hair and blinked, raising an eyebrow when she saw everyone staring at her. Her Charas giggled at her sides as she placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Haruno-sama is so cool and mysterious!" squeaked several younger girls.

"She used to be adorable, like Rima-sama, but now holds a more mature beauty!" gasped a few of the boys. Rolling her eyes at their words, Sakura stepped forwards, lifting her arm around Yaya's shoulders.

"Morning, Yaya-chan," she smiled, giving the smaller girl a half-hug.

"Morning, Saku-chi!" sang Yaya, enveloping the pinkette completely. "I missed you over the summer! Why did you have to move out?"

"For her own room," inputted Katsumi.

"Due to a lack of servants," corrected Mitsu, eyeing Pepe.

"For peace and quiet," Setsuko sighed, thinking of Tsubasa's sleepless nights.

"It was too cramped," scoffed Mari.

"Uhh," everyone sweat-dropped as Sakura tried to hush her Charas before they upset the baby-like Guardian.

"Tsunade has been like a mother to me for many years, Yaya-chan," the pinkette stated, patting Yaya on the shoulder comfortingly. "I loved living with you and your family, but she's my family."

"I get it!" Yaya nodded happily. "Time for class!" she announced, running off giggling with Pepe floating after her.

"What a strange character," Rima pointed out.

"We wouldn't have her any other way," smiled Sakura fondly.

{-}

As Sakura sat in her classroom, watching her Charas play on the desk in front of her, her mind began to wander. She stared out of the window, an image of green hair and glasses popping into her mind without consent. Blushing slightly, Sakura recalled Kairi's confession to her before he left. The pinkette lowered her head, hoping to hide her red cheeks from anyone who may glance at her.

The girl had never really thought about the confession. Sure, she liked Kairi well enough, but he just wasn't...her type.

She thought about his well-kept green hair, his sharp blue eyes, his secretive smile and his polite mannerisms. All-in-all, he was a great guy, but he just wasn't _her_ great guy. She liked his personality well enough, and his sense of honour was second-to-none, but still. When Sakura thought of Kairi, she just didn't think of a boyfriend – a friend, definitely; perhaps even a _best_ friend, had they been given the chance – but nothing romantic.

'_What exactly __**is**__ my type?'_ she wondered to herself, conjuring a picture of Ikuto, smirking as he forced her into a hug. Smiling a little, Sakura allowed her thoughts to carry on, but was shocked when Ikuto suddenly became Kukai, laughing with her as they caught up.

"Saku-chan?" called Setsuko, seeing her mistress in a daze.

"I'm fine," Sakura assured her, snapping out of it. Try as she might, the girl just couldn't focus on the lesson. So, rather than allow herself to mentally battle between her feelings for Ikuto and her fondness for Kukai, she returned her thoughts to Kairi.

Sakura wondered how he was getting on, whether he was hanging out with his old friends, if he ever thought of her and the Guardians. She pictured him working hard to improve the studies of his classmates, helping both upperclassmen and underclassmen in their struggles. The pinkette saw him sat perfectly upright at his desk, lecturing teachers on how to better impart their knowledge onto their students. Surprisingly, she pictured him and Musashi starting their own, secret Guardian club, unofficially on the lookout for any other students with Shugo Charas.

Unpermitted, her ponderings also stretched to whether or not he was still in love with her. A small, selfish part of the girl hoped he was, but a more humane side of her hoped that he had gotten over it and moved on to a girl who could return his feelings, because Sakura knew she couldn't. Try as she might, she just couldn't muster up those feeling for the boy – as sweet and kind as he could be, he just wasn't for her. It almost made her feel bad for him, but at the same time she knew that rejecting him was far kinder than leading him on, only to drop him further down the line.

Mind made up, though she had no clue why her mind had taken this train of thought, Sakura decided that should she and Kairi ever cross paths again, she would turn him down gently – very gently, for he deserved nothing less. The pinkette loved him, just like she loved all of her friends, but she was just not _in love_ with him.

Whether that was because of Ikuto or Kukai, she was still unsure.

{-}

Ikuto looked at the front door of the apartment building Sakura had moved into – having received her new address from the pinkette herself via text message about a week ago. This in and of itself was unexpected, since the girl normally displayed no interest in having him in her home, but nonetheless he couldn't wait to tease her mercilessly about it. He knew she liked him – even if she wouldn't admit it – and he just loved to take advantage of this fact.

Now, normally, he would have climbed in a window and waiting for the girl to return home, but had been given a warning that she was now living with an older woman named Tsunade, who would not take kindly to breaking-and-entering. Plus, she lived on the first floor now so, thankfully, Sakura had taken to locking her windows so as to ward off any attempts at someone breaking in.

...not that he'd tried.

So, the normally stealthy alley cat had to lower his self to the most basic of human interaction – knocking on the door. He recalled the last time he had knocked to gain entry to Sakura's home – the first time he had been in her apartment, way back before he knew she was a girl. Raising a hand and knocking twice while adjusting the strap of his violin case across his shoulders, Ikuto waited calmly for the door to be opened by a smiling, red-in-the-face, pink-haired girl who would be so delighted to see –

"Who the heck are you?"

Well, that certainly wasn't Sakura.

{-}

Kukai yawned widely as he made his way home after being recruited for 'special training' with Yaya. Daichi was at his side, practicing his Keepy Uppy skills with his Chara-sized soccer ball. Another yawn bubbled in his throat, but it stuttered and halted, causing Kukai to choke for a moment on air, when he saw who was walking in his direction.

Her hair was being caught in the wind and her face was lit up like a Christmas tree as she chatted with her Charas about this and that – he was too far away to hear her, but the subject they were discussing obviously brought happiness to the cheery-faced girl. Setsuko seemed particularly interested, so it was likely a new recipe or something along those lines; y'know, something girly. Beside him, Daichi stopped and shuddered.

"What's wrong?" he asked his Chara, whose eyes seemed glued to Mitsu as she came closer.

"She's evil," he claimed in a whisper, pointing at the golden Chara shakily. "She has these freaky mind-control powers and it is _evil_!"

"Actually, I'm more manipulative than evil," corrected Mitsu as she appeared suddenly beside Daichi. He yelped and leapt away, eyeing her warily, when he was suddenly tackled from behind.

"Daichi!" cried Katsumi in glee as she clung to him, her face lit up with a wide smile.

"Good to see you, man," Mari grinned as she pulled her sister off him and gave him a high-five.

"Hi, Setsuko," Daichi greeted the more feminine Chara, who smiled and bowed her head in response.

"What're you doing here, Kukai?" asked Sakura when she caught up to her Charas.

"Special training with Yaya," he explained.

"I was training Pepe!" announced Daichi proudly.

"How did that turn out?" Mari snorted. Daichi visible deflated and rubbed the back of his head.

"She took a nap after crying about how mean I was," he confessed, blushing when the girls began giggling – except Mari, who was outright gasping with uncontained laughter.

"Was Yaya-chan pretty much the same?" asked Sakura, smiling a little at the typical image of her friend acting like a baby.

"Pretty much," Kukai nodded, nervously returning her smile. "She wasn't really up for the kind of training I had you and Amu do," he added, noticing the way Sakura's eyes darkened slightly when he mentioned the other pinkette. Making a mental note not to bring up Amu again, he persevered in the conversation.

{-}

"So, you're Tsukiyomi Ikuto, huh?" asked Tsunade, in an almost violent tone, as she glared down at the teen sat on her sofa. She had 'kindly' invited him in for a 'friendly chat' concerning her adopted daughter, which Ikuto was literally unable to refuse. The firm grip on the back of his shirt hauling him to the sofa was inescapable.

"I am," he nodded. Mentally, he was cursing Yoru and his ability to evade the busty old blonde, but was also thankful that the cat Chara was out looking for Sakura so she could end his torment.

"I understand that you have been around Sakura quite a lot since you two met – is this correct?" she interrogated. "Of course it is," the woman continued without waiting for him to reply. "Now, what makes you think I'll allow you to continue seeing Sakura-chan, knowing the kind of trouble she had been involved in since meeting you?"

"With all due respect –"

"Trust me, there's a lot due," she snorted, rolling her eyes. "Don't you think you're a little too old to be playing with elementary school kids, Tsukiyomi?"

"Don't you think you're a little too ignorant of the situation to come in here and assume I'm bad for Sakura?" he seethed, standing from his seat. Tsunade stood her ground, completely unafraid of the teen.

"I will not stand here while a little boy insults me in my own home," she sneered at him.

"Then sit, because I'm not done yet," he replied with just as much venom.

{-}

"No way!" the pinkette giggled. Chuckling, Kukai nodded.

"Yeah; Kaidou-nii can be such a pain sometimes, but he's always good for a laugh," he beamed.

"At his expense," added Sakura.

"Naturally," agreed the boy.

"I wish I had siblings," she sighed longingly, sobering from her laughter. Kukai was about to respond, but Sakura turned and smiled at him. "At least I have you," she said. Kukai felt his stomach tie in knots as his face heated.

"W-What do you mean?" he stuttered, wringing his hands together.

"Well, you're like the big brother I never had," she told him, hugging him around the neck. The sandy-haired youth felt as though someone had tipped a bucket of ice water over his head. He reached up and gently pushed Sakura away by her shoulders, holding her at arm's length. His gaze dropped to her hands as his own slid down her arms to hold them.

"I don't see you as a sister," he told her firmly, his eyes snapping up to meet her own.

"Kukai..." Sakura trailed off, unsure of how to respond, but Kukai's spirits were lifted when she didn't remove her hands.

"I really like you, Sakura," he confessed. "More than I've ever liked any other girl."

Sakura's eyes welled up with tears as he poured his heart out to her. He was confessing to her – not to Amu, or Shion, but her! Still, if this confession was bringing so much joy to her heart, why could she only think, in this amazing moment, of how Ikuto would react?

"Please say something," Kukai pleaded, his eyes showing his raw fear as he desperately searched for her answer in her face.

"I like you too," she said slowly, watching him brighten, "but..."

"But," he repeated, disheartened by her response and slumping over.

"Please, Kukai," she begged as he turned away from her, "You have to understand! I just –"

"It's Ikuto, right?" he asked scornfully, turning to face her again and holding her hands tightly. "I can treat you way better than that black cat could ever think of!"

{-}

"Well," Tsunade began, watching Ikuto glare at her after he finished, "that was quite the passionate speech. I had no idea there was someone here who cared about her so much."

"What do you mean?" asked Ikuto, slightly confused. Tsunade stood, smiling as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're bad news, Tsukiyomi, and I don't want you in my home or around my daughter ever again," she told him calmly, "but it's obvious you're in love with her."

"What?" he gaped, "I am not –!"

"Don't even bother, kid," she snorted. "I'm not doing this to be cruel – it's for Sakura's own good. She's confused and scared right now, and you're going to break her heart. Eventually she'll be old enough to understand just how much you feel for her, but right now...she's too young."

{-}

"I really like you, Sakura," Kukai said quietly as the two came closer. "Please, just give me a chance."

"Kukai, I," she paused, her eyelids drooping as they got closer and closer still.

Their lips were close; she could feel his breath dancing across her mouth with every lungful of air he exhaled. Her eyes closed at the same time as Kukai's and they leaned in.

Suddenly, Sakura eyes snapped open and she pulled back.

"I can't," she whispered, turning and running away.

Kukai watched her back sadly as she disappeared from sight.

Tears blurred Sakura's vision as she recalled what happened.

The moment she closed her eyes, she saw Ikuto.

{-}

Ikuto left Tsunade's apartment feeling disheartened.

There wasn't anything the woman could do to really force him to stay away from Sakura, but after their 'little chat' he wasn't so sure he wanted to be close to her for a while. As much as he hated to admit it, Tsunade was right. What he felt for Sakura was more than he'd even felt for anyone in his life – he was in love with her, so much so that he was slightly afraid of his feelings himself. He couldn't even begin to imagine how she would react should she discover them.

Walking through the park, ignoring musicians as they played to small crowds, he quickly found a secluded spot on a grassy hill and began to unpack his violin.

"Ikuto – nya!" cried Yoru as he found his own, jumping onto his shoulder. "I found Sakura – nya – but she was –!"

"Not now, Yoru," he muttered.

{-}

Sakura sighed heavily, her eyebrows pulled together as guilt gnawed at her insides. She couldn't get Kukai out of her thoughts, yet she also couldn't stop thinking about how Ikuto would react if he found out that she had almost kissed him. She came to a sudden stop, shaking her head violently as she clenched her fists, a low growl emitting from her throat. Just as she was beginning to calm down, she opened her eyes and froze.

"I-Ikuto?"


	4. Trying To Move On

Chapter Four

It was getting late – Tsunade would worry.

The sun was setting, and the sky was pink from the lazy rays of light still stretching from the horizon.

It was slightly chilly, but Sakura barely felt the cold right now.

He was there, standing tall and proud, playing a beautiful melody on his violin.

His eyes were closed, his mind completely on the music.

She watched his body sway slightly as his arm moved smoothly, his wrist flicking with every note played. She watched his hair as the wind picked it up, becoming a partner to the strands in an unpractised dance. She watched his lips move slightly as he subtly mouthed words to the song he was playing.

He was perfect.

He was everything.

"Ikuto," she breathed; this one quiet word was enough to draw him out of his own mind.

His fingers stilled, and Sakura wished for the sake of the beautiful music he was creating that she had not said a word.

"Sakura," he said, almost confused by her sudden appearance. His eyes glanced around, and he seemed surprised to see the setting sun. She wondered how long he'd been here, playing to an audience of trees and grass.

A moment of still silence passed between them as they just looked at each other.

Sakura opened her mouth to talk.

Ikuto picked up his violin case and turned to leave.

She watched him go, her mouth still agape and her eyes wide. All she could see was his back as he walked away from her. Tears filled her eyes – he was _walking away_.

{-}

"Saku-chan, please!" begged Katsumi, jumping on the pinkette's back. Sakura was stretched out on her bed, lying on her stomach with her head cradled in her arms, a melancholy look on her face.

"He just _left_," she muttered sadly. "Why would he do that?"

Sakura turned around, her red Chara slipping onto the mattress as the girl settled in a new position on her back, her arms stretched out to the sides. Mari floated over and sat on the girl's stomach while Katsumi curled up by her head and Setsuko knelt by her ear. Mitsu was floating around the room in a fuss, muttering to herself continuously. She glanced to her right for a moment and gasped, shooting like a bullet out of the open window.

"What's with her?" Mari mused, watching her younger sister in amusement.

"Who knows?" snorted Katsumi.

"Are you okay, Setsuko?" asked Sakura, her head turning to her left to look at the blue Chara. She frowned and shook her head.

"It just does not make sense to me," she responded, getting up and floating towards her egg. On her way, she saw her sister outside with a familiar pair of Charas. Glancing towards her owner, Setsuko found that Sakura was once again distracted by Katsumi and Mari. Using this, she glided towards the window and outside, coming to a stop beside the youngest Chara.

"Setsuko, thank goodness!" cried Mitsu in relief, "I just can't get these two to stop fighting!"

"Must be serious, then," acknowledged Setsuko, knowing the argument must be important for the two male Charas to ignore the influential Mitsu. She floated closer to the boys and took a deep breath. "Silence, you two!" she said in a firm tone, projecting her normally soft voice until it rang through their ears.

"Uh oh," whimpered Yoru, fully aware of Setsuko's frightening temper, while Daichi seemed confused by the cat Chara's fear.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked calmly, folding her arms.

"I-Ikuto asked me to check on Sakura," Yoru told her instantly. "He was worried, because she seemed upset earlier."

"Of course she did!" yelled Mitsu, "He totally ditched her!"

"Yourself, Daichi?" continued the blue Chara, ignoring her sister's input.

"Pretty much the same," he shrugged, rubbing the back of his head. "Sakura ran off kinda fast, and Kukai just wanted me to stop by to see if she was okay after, well," he trailed of, glancing at Yoru, "you know; _that_."

"I know 'that', indeed," she said coolly. "You may both return to your masters and relay the following message; Sakura is not to be disturbed until permission to approach her is given by the girl herself. Today's _events_," she glanced between the two, "have upset her somewhat, and she is in no state to be receiving visitors of the male variety. That is all, you may leave."

"Yes, ma'am," nodded Yoru, quickly fleeing. Daichi left too, but in less of a panicked rush.

"What were they fighting about, anyway?" asked Setsuko, now turning to Mitsu.

"Well..."

}-{

_Mitsu caught a glance out of the window and gasped, spotting Daichi and Yoru yelling at each other. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she could clearly see that they were angry. Gasping at the thought of them fighting, she flew outside as quickly as she could and stopped just short of the arguing pair, her hands on her hips. They ignored her, so she cleared her throat. Still, there was nothing._

"_You tell Ikuto to stay away from Sakura!" yelled Daichi, pointing an accusing finger at Yoru._

"_Oh, yeah?" challenged the cat Chara, "Well you tell __**your**__ master to keep his __**lips**__ away from her – nya!"_

"_You saw that?" Mitsu winced, drawing back a little._

"_Well, Kukai __**would**__ have __**kissed**__ her, but it's __**Ikuto's**__ fault he didn't!" Daichi threw right back._

"_What are you talking about?" cried Yoru, "Ikuto would be her boyfriend by now if it weren't for __**Kukai**__!"_

"_Kukai would be her boyfriend right now if it weren't for __**Ikuto**__!" he yelled right back before pausing, a grin on his face. "So, I guess I'll just tell Kukai to get Ikuto out of the picture!"_

"_Not if I tell Ikuto first – nya!" Yoru sneered._

_At this moment, Mitsu was relieved to find her second oldest sister, and by far the most mature, floating beside her._

}-{

"This isn't good," murmured Setsuko as the two floated back inside.

"Not good at all," agreed the youngest.

{-}

It took three days for Sakura move from upset to angry.

Three days of pouting, silence and tears to finally realise that Ikuto was being a pain in the butt, and she shouldn't have to sulk over him. Nope; _he_ should be _begging_ for her forgiveness. There would be no more sorrow in the face of the teen, only righteous fury at how he had wronged her – and oh, he had done her much wrong. He had strung her along until her heart finally gave in and surrendered itself to him, and then he had walked away.

Leaping across her room, Sakura startled her Charas as she grabbed her phone and looked through her contacts, aiming for 'Tsukiyomi Ikuto'. Upon finding his name, she glared, and hit the 'edit contact' option. When she was done, the new name for the number was 'Jerk Face Heartbreaker'. She dialled and listened to the tone for a few moments, knowing he wouldn't pick up – he never did anymore. As expected, she got to his messages.

"_You've reached Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Leave a message_."

"How dare you!" she yelled. "I know you know who this is, so I won't bother with the 'Hi, it's...' stuff. You lead me on for months – _months_ – and then expect me to just sit idly by while you ignore me? I won't! You don't even have the courage to pick up the phone," she sniffed, only then realising that she had begun to cry while speaking. "I miss you, Ikuto," she hiccupped, "and I can do anything except think about now, so I hope you're happy, because I'm _not_. I hate relying on people, but I _need_ you! You were the only person I could turn to through all the pain, Ikuto. When my father died," she sobbed, "when I joined Easter, when I got sick, when they had me under their control – I just need you! Everyone else came and went as they pleased, but you were always there! I just – I can't – I –!"

"Saku-chan," Katsumi sniffled, patting her arm. Sakura looked at her four Charas and their varying degrees of sadness as she cried.

"I called to yell at you and I ended up crying," she laughed without humour. "I really...Please don't ignore this, too, Ikuto. I hate being weak, but right now I can't be strong, I can't do it without you."

With those final words, she hung up and wept.

{-}

Ikuto stared at his phone, his entire being hollow.

The message was harrowing – her tears, her pleading. He knew Tsunade had a point now, that Sakura wasn't ready for every emotion he showed to her, but he had no idea that he would have such an effect on her. All he wanted to do was run over there and hold her, promising to never leave, no matter what her Guardian said. With narrowed eyes, he saved her message – a reminder of just how much he had hurt her; painful, but he felt as though he deserved it.

Knowing her past of having to leave behind everything she cared about, he had turned his back on her and walked away. He had abandoned her without even thinking for her heart, for her spirit. So now he had broken down such a strong girl to her barest emotions, and it hurt. It hurt to know that she had instilled so much faith in him and he had walked all over it.

Clenching his fist tightly, Ikuto looked up and out of the window.

Yoru was returning.

{-}

Kukai listened intently to every word out of his Chara's mouth, all about how Sakura was genuinely upset over Ikuto deserting her. His fingers tightened into fists as he stood, rushing out of his room. He pulled on his trainers, tying them hastily, and grabbed his jacket. She may have rejected him, but Kukai still cared deeply for Sakura and she was in pain – Ikuto may have been able to walk away and leave her to hurt, but he couldn't.

"Where are you going?" asked Unkai, his arms folded up behind his head as he yawned. He had obviously just woken up from a nap and was headed to the kitchen for a snack.

"Sakura's house," Kukai replied shortly, knowing that at least one of his brothers had to know he was going somewhere.

"The pinkie that was over a while ago?" he mused, looking up as he recalled Kukai's friend. He smirked, "She was cute. You better be nice to her."

"I'm nice to everyone," snorted the youngest, just wanting to be out of the door and on his way to Sakura's house.

"You taking your skateboard?" asked his brother and Kukai nodded. "Don't bother – my bike is quicker, just don't mess it up or anything, got it?"

"Yes!" cheered Kukai, quickly running to the back to get his brother's bike out of the shed, "Thanks, Unkai-nii!"

"Ahh, young love," the middle brother grinned, rubbing his stomach before going to find some food.

{-}

Sakura sat at the dining table with Tsunade, a bowl of ramen in front of her, but she was staring into space. The blonde was watching her in concern, noticing – and not for the first time – that her ward had completely drawn away into herself. She had been doing so for a while, but now it seemed the internalisation was complete. Sighing, Tsunade rested her chopsticks beside her own bowl of food and reached over, taking Sakura's hand.

"This place has given you nothing but bad memories, Sakura," she began, her girl's eyes finding her instantly. "I don't think that staying here is good for your health. I have already spoken to the Gakure Hospital and they've agreed to another transfer. We're moving back to Gakure, so you can attend school with all your old friends, and –"

"No," Sakura cut in, quietly and blankly, as she pulled her hand away from Tsunade's.

"It's for the best, Sakura," the blonde finalised with a stern look. "It will be hard for you, I understand, but being here has brought you nothing but harm. Just look at that Tsukiyomi boy –"

"You met Ikuto?" she interrupted again, her green eyes now wide and searching.

"Yes," the woman frowned. "I told him to leave you alone," she added. The pinkette was still and silent for a moment.

"It's your fault," Sakura whispered, standing from the table. "_You_ made him abandon me!"

"If he truly cared for you," Tsunade stated, "he would have ignored me and come to see you anyway."

Tears streaming from her eyes, Sakura fled the apartment, her feet bare and her Charas slumbering unaware in her bedroom.

{-}

Kukai peddled faster and faster, Daichi desperately clinging to his t-shirt to keep from falling and being left behind. The sense of urgency in his owner was extreme, so the sporty Chara knew better than to complain. Besides, he too hated to see Sakura brought down over some teenager, and he would do his best to help cheer her up before she and her Charas had to re-live the X fiasco.

Suddenly, a blur of pink and red flew past them and Kukai skidded to a halt, the brakes squeaking with effort. The blur had also stopped, and wide green orbs stared at Kukai from behind a glazing of tears. Not a word was spoken as he strode over and took her in his arms, just holding her to him like she would disappear if he let her go for even a moment.

Sakura held on to Kukai desperately, as he was currently the only real thing in her life that wasn't going to turn away. Why shouldn't he, after the way she had treated him? He had every right to move on with his life, but Kukai was a better person than that. He knew she needed him, and he knew that just being there was all she needed.

Kukai stroked her hair gently as the rain began, echoing Sakura in her wailing sobs.

{-}

Tsunade didn't know what to do.

She had hoped that Sakura would be pleased at the news; she was doing this for the pinkette, after all. There was none of this heartache and pain when Sakura lived in Gakure, before she knew Ikuto. Her life was plain, and boring, but also safe and free of the torment she had been putting herself through. All kinds of people all over the world experienced pains far greater than Sakura's, but to a little girl experiencing her first heartbreak, nothing compares.

The blonde had meant every word of warning she had thrown at Ikuto. Tsunade wanted the teen nowhere near her ward – he was the cause of all this. He obviously didn't care for Sakura as much he, or she, thought he did, or else he would have known not to turn his back on her, and the immense damage he would cause by doing so. Either he was a fool, absent-minded, ignorant, or he had no strong feeling for her after all; reluctantly, she betted the latter.

Everyone knew that gambling, however, was never Tsunade's strong suit.

{-}

Ikuto's heart froze at the sight before him.

He had ventured out into the rain after receiving Yoru's news that Sakura wasn't doing well at all. He had been greatly concerned for her, to the point of using his front door to leave and not his window. The rain hadn't slowed him down – in fact, it had sped him up. He knew that when Sakura was upset, the rain only served to worsen her mood. He would need to get to her quickly.

However, it seemed that he wasn't the only one who had thought to check on the pinkette.

Standing before him, perfectly still and allowing themselves to be pelted with rain, were Sakura and Kukai. He was holding her tightly as she cried into his chest and clutched at his shoulders. It broke Ikuto's heart to see her so distressed, but unlike Sakura he was not one to walk away and wallow in sadness after seeing a loved one in the embrace of another. Striding over, his steps masked by the rain, Ikuto had every intention of ripping Sakura from Kukai's arms and taking her away.

Then she lifted her head and spotted him, her expression shifting from despair to complete blankness.

He pressed on, taking her arm and shoving Kukai away from the pinkette.

"I am so sorry," he said over the rain, pulling her close. Sakura did not cling to him, like she did with Kukai, and nor did she make any effort to hug him back. "I mean it Sakura; there is nothing I would like more than to take back what I did."

"Well, you can't," growled Kukai as he wrenched Sakura away from the teen, pushing her behind him. "You hurt her, and you have to accept responsibility."

"I do," the teen nodded and Sakura looked up in shock. "I hurt her, I turned my back on her when all she needed was for me to be with her, and I understand that, right now, you're more trustworthy than me, but, Sakura, please – meet me in the park tomorrow night, and I'll make it up to you."

"Just stop!" yelled Kukai, shoving him, "She doesn't –!"

"Okay," Sakura said quietly, just looking at Ikuto. Both he and Kukai gave her long looks, attempting to read the blankness in her eyes.

"Sakura, he betrayed you!" attempted Kukai, but Sakura just coughed out one short laugh.

"He didn't betray me," she corrected, "he just walked away. That hurt more than any betrayal, but I know why, now. Tsunade told you to, didn't she?"

"She told me to stay away," Ikuto confirmed reluctantly. "She said I was doing more harm than good."

"You could never do me harm by staying, Ikuto," Sakura whispered, her voice beginning to sound like a whimper. "You saved me, remember?"

}-{

_Sakura screamed in agony, clutching her head, as the dark energy pulsing out of her wavered. The giant X-Chara bubbled as the smaller X-Charas began re-forming, floating away from the mass. The pinkette's transformation slowly faded out of existence as tears gathered in her eyes, streaming down her face due to the pain. A bright light gathered around her, shining too brightly for anyone to ignore, and it burst, revealing the unconscious form of the Sakura they all knew._

_She fell, the giant X-Chara crumbling away in the smaller Charas with her decent, the dark energy she exuded no longer holding them together. Ikuto, recovered from the wound when the dark energy burning it dissipated, leapt up, catching her gently in his arms before he landed in a crouch, gathering her close to him. He watched her take easy breaths, her face calm, and he almost relaxed, were it not for the sounds of the chaos going on behind him._

}-{

_The stars fell all around them as Ikuto looked down at the unconscious girl in his arms. She stirred gently, shifting in his hold, and her eyes slowly opened, revealing the bright, vibrate green that Ikuto had been searching for when she was under the control of the dark energy. She looked up at him and he smiled down at her, holding her to him as tightly as he dared._

"_I'm glad you're back," he murmured into her hair. Sakura wriggled and he set her down, watching as she ripped the ring off her finger and threw it as far as she could. She didn't care where it landed, so long as it was far away from her._

"_I'm so sorry," she said, tears falling down her face and she leapt into Ikuto's arms again, crying into his chest. He stroked her hair comfortingly, promising to stop anything from hurting her like that again._

}-{

"I'll meet you in the park tomorrow," she agreed, turning to Kukai. "Please take me home?" she requested. Kukai couldn't refuse – he didn't want Ikuto around her any more than necessary, even though by now he knew the fight for Sakura's heart had not turned in his favour.

{-}

With her Chara's surrounding her, a blank-faced Sakura made her way to the fountain in the park, spotting Ikuto easily in the remaining stragglers. Yoru was by his side, as expected, and spotted them before his owner did. Taking large, hurried steps, Ikuto moved towards her, stopping a breath away and looking at her with a pained expression.

"I never wanted to hurt you," he assured.

"I know," she smiled a small, unsure grin. Taking this as all the incentive he needed, Ikuto drew her to him, and this time she hugged him back. Ikuto took her wrist as he moved out of the embrace, and led her to a more secluded part of the park.

"I have something for you," Ikuto told her, gesturing to the violin case on his shoulder. "I know you like listening to me play, and I thought it would help you forgive me."

"I forgave you the moment I knew what Tsunade did," she said in a quiet voice, and Ikuto placed a hand on her cheek, giving her a gentle look.

"I really am sorry, Sakura," he repeated, and Sakura smiled a little as if to tell him that she knew. Ikuto nodded once and turned, beginning up the steps to the place he often played his violin.

"Are you trying to serenade me, because a voice usually works better," Sakura hummed as she walked up the steps. Ikuto threw her a short, sarcastic look before continuing up the stairs.

"I doubt you even know what 'serenade' means, kid," he retorted, gaining an offended huff from the pinkette. He smirked at her and, standing at the top of the steps, began unpacking his violin. "Any requests?" the teen offered, holding his violin to his shoulder, the boy poised above the strings.

"Something from you," the girl smiled. Ikuto paused, just staring at this wonderful girl before him, before closing his eyes. He pictured that same smiling face as he began his melody.

Sakura became lost in the beautiful music Ikuto was playing, her eyelids sliding closed as she sighed happily. Beside her, Setsuko and Mitsu were twirling while Mari just listened. Katsumi had floated up the steps to Yoru, and was currently forcing him to dance with her. Everything else disappeared around them as Sakura continued to listen to this tune Ikuto was playing just for her. No one else was allowed in their beautiful moment – it was for the two of them alone.

Then, as always, Amu ruined it.

"_I won't lose to anyone_," a slightly flat singer joined the song. Ikuto's eyes opened and passed over Sakura completely, finding Amu standing a short ways behind her. Sakura turned and glared at the girl, hoping she would take the hint and leave, but the slightly taller pinkette had closed her eyes and was continuing to sing along.

Turning now to Ikuto, Sakura frowned – his eyes were stuck on Amu and he was still playing. She had intruded on their moment, and now he was letting her carry on like nothing was wrong. The Charas were still – Setsuko's eyes were glued to Sakura's quaking form, Mari was glaring at Amu, Mitsu was scowling at Ikuto, Katsumi and Yoru were darting their eyes around the three as Ikuto played, Amu sang and Sakura's eyes welled up with tears.

Suddenly, the violin stopped.

Amu did so too, staring at Ikuto.

"I thought I heard someone," Ikuto muttered, "and it's you."

"Sounds like you're having a fun time singing – nya!" laughed Yoru. Amu's face turned red and Sakura scowled at them.

"I'm n-not really having that much fun," she huffed, crossing her arms. Her Charas floated around her, giggling. Sakura's own Charas regrouped around their upset mistress.

"What a coincidence," Sakura said loudly, "neither am I," she stated before turning to leave.

"S-Sorry," stuttered Amu, "did I interrupt your date?" she asked. Ikuto opened his mouth to say 'yes', but Sakura beat him to it.

"It wasn't a date," she growled. "This obnoxious playboy was just dragging me around against my will. Now that you're here, though, I guess that ol' 'second best' can just go home. C'mon, girls," she murmured, leaving the park with her Charas before Ikuto could get a word in.

Arriving home, Sakura saw half-packed boxed scattered around the apartment and her heart sank.

Tsunade was serious.


	5. A Question of Heartache

Chapter Five

"Sakura!" cried Amu, spotting the other pinkette across the courtyard. Sakura didn't stop, but she didn't speed up either, so Amu ran after her. When she caught up, she carried on, "I haven't seen you in a while; have you been avoiding me?"

"Possibly," responded the girl curtly, still walking.

"Look, I'm sorry," the Yang Joker attempted, but the pinkette ignored her, so she continued, "Sakura, about the other day –!"

"It doesn't matter," Sakura interrupted, her head down as she stopped walking, shoving her hands into her pockets. "You can _have_ Ikuto, Amu."

"I don't want him!" she screamed, her face flushing when she saw that she had gathered some attention. "I don't want him," Amu repeated at a lower volume, making sure no one was staring, "I promise."

"I don't care," Sakura shrugged.

"If you don't want him, the how come you were hanging out with him after we left yesterday?" sneered Mari, placing her hands on her hips.

"What?" shrieked Amu; not caring at all about the odd looks she gathered this time. "How did you know about that?"

"Kukai," Setsuko inputted. "He saw you two, and saw fit to report back."

"Though he mainly just wanted to separate Sakura and Ikuto," snorted Katsumi.

"So that he could have Sakura to himself," giggled Mitsu.

"A little underhanded," mused Setsuko, "but I suppose it's understandable."

"Sakura, I'm not after Ikuto," Amu swore to her, ignoring the Charas and deciding to have words with Kukai later. "His violin string broke and I went with him to get it fixed. When the owner of the music shop asked if I was his girlfriend, he even said it was another 'pinkie' that he liked," she told the smaller girl, who wouldn't look up. "Please, Sakura," she tried again, "I don't seek him out – we just run into each other – but I'll start avoiding him if –!"

"It's not about you, Amu," she whispered, finally meeting Amu's eye. Green eyes were flooded with tears and Amu gasped, "I'm moving."

{-}

The rest of the day seemed like a dream. Sakura had been avoiding the Guardians – knowing that Amu would most likely have told them the news of her departure, even though it was never her news to tell – and although Rima probably wouldn't care, she didn't want a run-in with a curious Tadase or a weepy Yaya. Thinking along these lines, she wondered how Kukai would take it, and this inevitably led to her pondering about Ikuto.

Gritting her teeth, Sakura held the straps of her bag tighter in her hand as she stormed home from school. He was by far the last person she should be thinking about right now – it'll only make her upset, and that's not what she needs. She needed to think positively, to come up with some pros for her move rather than focusing on the cons alone. Taking a deep breath, she looked over to her Charas.

"I need to think of some good things about moving," she told them solemnly and they nodded.

"Well, you'll no long have to worry about Easter," Mari supplied and Sakura nodded, a small smile blooming.

"That'll be a relief," she agreed.

"You'll be save much emotional pain," added Setsuko, referring – of course – to Ikuto.

"That's true," Sakura frowned, crossing her arms as she huddled into herself.

"You'll get to know Itachi's Chara better!" beamed Katsumi. Sakura laughed, looking at her red Chara in amusement.

"That's more of a pro for you, Katsumi," Sakura pointed out. Shrugging a little, Katsumi blabbered on about all the Charas that were in Gakure.

"She has a point, though," Setsuko mused. "Now that you are one of the people in the world who bare a Chara, you may be closer to your old friends because of it."

"Mitsu?" said Sakura, gaining the attention of her strangely quiet gold Chara.

"You can't move," Mitsu murmured sadly. "This place is all I know. Even in my dreams, I'm here. We can't just pick up and leave our friends – what about Pepe-chan, or Kusukusu-chan? What about my precious servants, Kiseki, Daichi and Yoru? We have roots here – I am not a sapling that can just be replanted wherever you please, even if I _am_ the youngest!" she cried, her head down.

"Mitsu represents warmth and a mothering nature," Mari piped up, "but she's also very set in her roots. She's not the type to like moving around without good reason; especially when you're leaving so much behind."

"Me neither," Sakura agreed, scooping her youngest Chara into her hands and holding her fondly, "but there's nothing we can do. Tsunade is my legal guardian, and whatever she says is best for me – even if it's not – is what we have to do."

"That's stupid," the gold Chara huffed, expressing exactly what the other girls were thinking.

Within the next few minutes, Sakura had made it home. After hanging up her stuff and calling a greeting to Tsunade, she walked to her room, only to pause at the door. Five boxes of varying size were stacked up outside, all of them empty and waiting to be filled. Tears gathered in her eyes as the reality of the situation set in and, reluctantly, Sakura took the boxed into her room and began packing her belongings.

{-}

"A power-up spell!" Sakura heard a voice practically sing as she turned a corner, heading to school. Unsurprisingly, she found Yaya, bowing down before the Humpty Lock, with Tadase, Rima and Amu gathered around her, trying to figure out just how crazy the youngest girl was. At first Sakura was going to simply walk past them, maybe talk to Yaya, but then she recalled the previous day and knew Amu had probably told them she was moving.

"What's wrong, Saku-chan?" asked Mitsu curiously as she floated over Sakura's shoulder. She then spied the Guardians and hummed understandingly while Mari sneered.

"I hate that they meddle so much!" she growled.

"It's because they care," Setsuko acknowledged.

"Yeah, maybe too much," Katsumi snorted.

"You can never care too much," Mitsu corrected haughtily and Katsumi glared at her. The red Chara turned around to face her sister, the two of them squaring off.

"Sure you can," challenged Katsumi, "just like you care too much about how unlikeable you really are, so you trick and bribe people into friendships."

"Katsumi!" scolded Sakura, knowing the oldest Chara had gone too far.

"At least I can have friendships," snarled Mitsu, "while _you_ can only maintain a one-sided flirting match with a cat Chara who is more interested in _Setsuko_ that you."

"Do not drag me into this," murmured Setsuko, furrowing her brow.

"I am _way_ more interesting than Miss Fussy Pants over there," hissed Katsumi, readying herself for a full-on attack, but not expecting Setsuko to jump in.

"How dare you!" the blue Chara yelled, "Your topics of conversation lack any kind of intellect or depth – you cannot claim to be of more interest than a _rock_, let alone a person."

"Lay off!" warned Mari and soon it became a full shouting match between the four Charas. Sakura rubbed her temples, developing a headache right between her eyes, and she snapped.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" she screamed at them, "I'm having a hard enough time dealing with everything else in my life! I do _not_ need my Charas at each other's throats permanently! I just wish I have only _one_ Chara, not four! You're all giving me a headache!" the pinkette finished. She panted, staring between her Charas. All four looked incredibly hurt and she bit her lip guiltily, beginning to apologise, but she was interrupted.

"Saku-chi?" called Yaya tentatively, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Sakura lied, collecting her emotions. "I have to go to class," she excused, hurrying past the Guardians with her Charas floating sadly behind her.

{-}

Sakura sat at home the following day – a Saturday – just staring at her Shugo Chara eggs. The girls hadn't come out that day, and were still sore over Sakura's wish for just one of them and not all four. It was, after all, the equivalent of telling your child you wish they'd never been born. The pinkette felt sick when she thought of how she had yelled at them. She was stressed and her fuse had blown, but that was no excuse.

Standing, she walked over to the eggs and tapped her finger gently on each, called the girls out. They all peered out at once and Sakura sighed, stepping back – dodging boxed of various degrees of packing – and sat heavily on her bed as they emerged. Setsuko sat atop her egg delicately while Mari mere stood in front of it, her arms crossed. Katsumi was floating over her egg and Mitsu had just taken off the top, but remained inside the shell, staring at her owner.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Sakura said quietly, her voice full of remorse. She prepared to go on, spouting a long apology about what she did wrong and how much she regretted it, but her Charas had already forgiven her and where flying towards her, wrapping their tiny arms around their mistress.

"We're sorry too, Saku-chan," sniffled Katsumi. "We shouldn't have started fighting over nothing."

"Yes, it was petty and unneeded," agreed Setsuko.

Suddenly, a jolt ran through Sakura and she stood, sensing dark and ominous energy from the direction of the park. Without thinking, and with the girl following closely behind, Sakura darted out of her room and out the door, ignoring Tsunade's question of where she was going. She kept running and running, feeling in her gut that whatever was in the park was bad news.

The pinkette made it to her destination in record time, instantly seeing a girl from her school – Minami – in what looked like a Chara Nari with a white question mark on her forehead. Yaya, Rima and Tadase were trapped in vines, lifted from the ground and for some reason unable to use their abilities to free themselves, while all civilians had frozen and were now covered in flowers and trailing vines, looking more like ornaments than people.

Amu, already having become Amulet Heart, was doing her best to hold off Minami's attacks, but even with her recent power-up she was struggling. Sakura looked down, recalling how the two of them had always been stronger when using each other's power, and she looked to her Charas. Mitsu floated forwards, and she and the pinkette nodded once, both standing together as Sakura's remaining three Charas hung back.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura called, holding her hands in front of her heart and twisting them. Mitsu flew towards her, smiling sweetly as her egg closed around her and she flew into Sakura.

Sakura's whole form was covered with golden light and her hair fell loosely around her. She spun around quickly, the light unwrapping itself from around her, starting at her head. The light unwrapped to reveal a thick yellow headband atop her head, the golden rays of light sweeping through her loose strands of hair. It continued to unwrap down her torso, revealing a white dress with splits up her left side to her hip, a sparkling golden belt wrapped around her waist from her chest to her hips.

The light unwrapped from her feet, showing gold ballerina slippers tied with ribbons of the same colour up to her knees. Sakura spun around again, the light settling around her before fading to reveal a sheer gold fabric flowing from under her belt, opening in the front and covering the back of her dress to her knees. It also fell out of the front of the belt, two parts attaching themselves to gold bracelets on Sakura's wrists. In a burst of sparkles, a gold sun appeared on Sakura's headband and she smiled, raising her arms above her head.

"Chara Nari: Lonely Sun!" she and Mitsu called at the same time, twirling and bowing her head until she came to a stop, a sweet smile on her face and her arms raised.

"Sakura!" gasped Amu as she did her best to hold off an attack of two large flowers with her pompoms. Narrowing her eyes, Sakura lifted her hands.

"Sun Sai!" she called as an iron bar with a forked handle appeared in each of her hands. The weapon was gold and seemed to glow, with a sun on each end. She flipped them around her hands a few times before darting forwards and taking over pushing one of the flower head away, leaving Amu with only one. The taller pinkette looked over and smiled at her Joker counterpart as they worked together.

"Thanks," said Amu gratefully, appreciating the lessening of her task. As soon as the girls were stood beside one another, the Humpty Lock began to glow and sparkle, a radiant light emitting from the crystals. Suddenly, the flowers they were holding off disintegrated into nothing more than pink sparkles, those also quick to disappear.

"Wow, Amu-chi!" gasped Yaya, "You really did power up, and so did Saku-chi!"

The two pinkette looked down at themselves, realising that they were glowing and sparkling now, too – Amu in pink and Sakura in gold. They sensed the power coursing through them, and it made them feel as though they could take on any enemy, any foe, and – so long as they had their Twin Joker by their side – they could win back the world in a day. It was a feeling neither had experienced before and their eyes met as they shared a moment of awe at how light, and yet at the same time heavy, they both felt.

"We have this kind of power?" smiled Amu, lifting her sparkling pompoms.

"Apparently so," nodded Sakura, also holding up her weapons – though her Sai were sparkling gold.

"My...My flowers!" screamed Minami, attacking the girls with vines in revenge for the flowers they destroyed.

With no hesitation, Amu and Sakura attacked the oncoming vines, hitting them with pompoms and Sai alike. They swapped sides, leaping over and rolling around each other in some kind of elaborate dance, ending with Amu behind Sakura, one pompon raised, while the pinkette crouched in front of her, her twin Sai poised on either side. Around them, the vines did as the flowers had and glowed pink and gold, disintegrating into a shimmering rain of sparkles.

"Manami-chan, what's happened to you?" asked Amu, worried for her friend and determined to help her return to normal.

"I'm going to give flowers to everyone, and make them all smile," replied the girl dreamily. "Everyone is happy to be given flowers, right?"

"Not like this!" interrupted Sakura, standing from her defensive crouch. "Just look and see for yourself!" she yelled, pointing towards the frozen civilians with one of her Sai. "Is anyone smiling? Do they look happy to you?"

"Don't you want to make everyone smile?" asked Amu, her voice firm and Minami reacted – the girls were obviously getting through to her. "Your dream is warm and wonderful."

"My dream?" recalled the lost girl, "Everyone's smiles..." she realised sadly, the question mark on her forehead morphing to become an 'X' as a giant X Egg formed around her.

"I've never seen anything like it," muttered Sakura in awe as she and Amu stood side by side. The shorter pinkette nodded to the taller one, who used 'Open Heart' to restore her friend to normal. Sakura ended her transformation with Mitsu sadly and frowned.

"What is it, Saku-chan?" asked the gold Chara, sensing her mistress' discomfort.

"It never ends," Sakura whispered. "We defeated Nikaidou-sensei, but Utau and Sanjo-san took over; then we defeated them, and now this. It just never ends."

"The Embryo!" cried Yaya and everyone looked up, spotting a beautiful white egg, glowing and sparkling in many different colours. It floated around them overhead for a moment before flying off. Sakura, upon seeing the ultimate goal of her recent endeavours, was disheartened.

"Saku-chan?" called Mari as the other three Charas floated over. Sakura looked at them sadly.

"Maybe Tsunade is right," she admitted hesitantly. "I need to be rid of this place, rid of Easter, and they just keep coming back. The Embryo – is it really worth it after all? All I want is... Well, it's impossible, even for a magical egg. Maybe I really should just move back to Gakure and be with my old friends."

"You're leaving?" a familiar voice asked from behind her. Sakura's eyes widened and she turned, spotting Ikuto. Her eyes turned hopeful before she closed off completely and just walked away.

This time, _he_ saw _her_ back.

This time, it was Ikuto who went home with a broken heart.


	6. The Long Road Home

Chapter Six

_Holding the umbrella firmly above her head, Sakura silently watched Tadase fighting Ikuto while Amu stood between them, though away from the fight. The bright light emitting from the boys' weapons was filling the area and Sakura noticed how perfect the scene was – two boys, both complete opposites, competing for Amu's affections. Looking away, she realised that the thought of Ikuto fighting for Amu was a lot more painful that it should have been. She bit her lip, looking up again in just enough time to see Amu transform into Amulet Heart. Watching this she glanced towards Katsumi – even her transformations were 'Lonely' when compared to Amu's beautiful amulet._

_However, a second glance told her that the amulet's power had increased greatly, and Amu was viably glowing. She felt warm and bright just looking at the taller pinkette._

"_Sakura," Ikuto gasped, looking over at her. She saw a reflection of light in his eyes and took a step back, the reflection moving with her. Looking down, she realised that the warm light wasn't from seeing Amu, but was a result of her glowing, too._

"_That's strange," she muttered, glancing at Mitsu. As soon as she met her youngest Chara's eyes, the warmth increased and the words just spilled out of her mouth, "Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura called, holding her hands in front of her heart and twisting them. Mitsu flew towards her, smiling sweetly as her egg closed around her and she flew into Sakura._

_Sakura's whole form was covered with golden light and her hair floated loosely around her. She spun around quickly, the light unwrapping itself from around her, starting at her head. The light unwrapped to reveal a thick yellow headband atop her head, the golden rays of light sweeping through her loose strands of hair. It continued to unwrap down her torso, revealing a white dress with splits up her left side to her hip, a sparkling golden belt wrapped around her waist from her chest to her hips._

_The light unwrapped from her feet, showing gold ballerina slippers tied with ribbons of the same colour up to her knees. Sakura spun around again, the light settling around her before fading to reveal a sheer gold fabric flowing from under her belt, opening in the front and covering the back of her dress to her knees. It also fell out of the front of the belt, two parts attaching themselves to gold bracelets on Sakura's wrists. In a burst of sparkles, a gold sun appeared on Sakura's headband and she smiled, raising her arms above her head._

"_Chara Nari: Lonely Sun!" she and Mitsu called at the same time, twirling and bowing her head until she came to a stop, a sweet smile on her face and her arms raised._

"_No way," Sakura muttered as she continued to glow, the golden light around her spreading to meet with the light pink light emitting from Amu. They met around Ikuto, who then heard a noise. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out, holding it up to look at._

"_The Dumpty Key is resonating," he realised, looking up from the decorative piece and at Sakura._

"_The rain seems to have ceased," realised Setsuko, looking around._

"_Ah!" they heard Miki gasp, "Look!"_

"_A rainbow!" cried Amu with a large smile._

"_It's beautiful," breathed Sakura. As the sun shone down on her, she felt her spirits lift. The sparkles on her belt glittered in the light, even as the glow around her subsided._

"_Sakura," Ikuto called to her as he walked in her direction. He took her hand, looking deeply into her eyes, and smirked. "Allow me to 'walk' you home," he requested. Sakura smiled a little._

"_And by 'walk' you mean...?" she trailed off. Taking this as permission, Ikuto lifted the girl from the ground and leapt up into the trees, carrying her back in the direction of her home. Sakura rested her head on his chest as she wrapped her arms around his neck and, for the first time in days, she felt safe and secure._

_She felt at peace._

Sakura awoke suddenly, sitting up in bed. She looked around her room, taking in the sight of the packed boxes casting shadows in the dimly lit room. It was still very early in the morning, as was apparent by the cast of the sunrise through her room, and her Charas and Tsunade were most likely still sound asleep. A glance to the Chara eggs on her empty dresser confirmed this.

Getting out of bed, Sakura did notice something falling from her mattress and rolling under the bed frame as she walked to her window and quietly opened the curtains, looking out at the sunrise. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she realised that the day had come, even with all her prayers and wishes, and today she would be leaving her new home and going back to Gakure.

The girl wasn't surprised that her dream had ended with Ikuto. Her mind was focusing on only him lately, revolving around the teen and whether or not he was thinking about her as much as she was thinking about him. Not that she expected him to, but she hoped nonetheless. Sakura told herself that, if she weren't moving, she would have remained angry at Ikuto longer, but in truth she knew that she couldn't hold a grudge against him for any more than a day or two, and it had already been a week.

Giving in was never something Sakura admitted to, and so she decided that forgiving Ikuto so easily was the lesser of two evils – she could either forgive him, thus acknowledging that it was impossible for her to stay mad at him, or continue her anger wallow in loneliness. Given these options, she would pick Ikuto over being alone any time, but then she would even pick Tadase over being left by herself for a long period of time.

Rubbing her eyes, Sakura decided it was too early for such philosophical thoughts, and so she turned around and climbed back into bed. In a few hours, the apartment would be empty and she would be in a truck, on her way back to Gakure for the foreseeable future.

It wasn't even time for breakfast and today already sucked.

She looked back at the window with a frown. For a moment, she had felt warm and peaceful, much like she had when the girls were born. Eyes widening, Sakura rushed to her bed and checked it, only to sigh when she found no new egg.

"Who am I kidding?" she huffed, "Five eggs? Doubtful."

{-}

Lethargically, Sakura stirred her spoon in her cereal, every now and then raising the spoon to take a bite. She watched the morning cartoons on TV as she ate, Tsunade bustling about in the other room making sure everything was packed and ready to go. She licked her lips to make sure no milk was left there. Sakura cleaned her empty bowl in the sink, along with the spoon, and turned off the TV, taking in the silence of the room.

She breathed deeply, her thoughts a jumbled mess while outwardly she appeared as calm and collected as ever. In her mind, Sakura was screaming, wailing, kicking and crying like the child she was, begging for the words to convince Tsunade to stay here, or to let her stay, but her mind and mouth wouldn't listen to the pleading and Sakura remained silent. She stood, glancing around the kitchen.

"Sakura, are you ready yet?" called Tsunade as she re-entered the room, tutting under her breath when she saw the bowl and spoon on the drying rack. Quickly unpacking a dish towel, Tsunade dried the kitchen ware and packed it all away in its respective box.

"I don't want to leave," Sakura told her bluntly, meeting Tsunade's eye. The blonde hesitated before she sighed heavily.

"I know," she replied.

"Then why are you making me?" the pinkette persisted desperately. She wrung her hands together and her eyes filled with tears that she refused to cry, even though she was getting close. Tsunade hugged the girl tightly, embracing her and attempting to soothe her.

"I'm sorry, Sakura," she murmured. "I hope one day you will understand that I'm only doing what is best, but for now you'll just have to do as you're told. Go and collect the rest of your things – the moving van will be here soon, and we need to make sure we're ready to have to movers put everything inside."

"Yes, Tsunade," she responded weakly. Sakura stumbled towards her room, opening the door. "Roll call," she said, looking around.

"Radiant Red!" giggled her first-born Chara, twirling into view.

"Beautiful Blue," continued Setsuko, calmly playing along with her sister's game.

"Gallant Green!" barked Mari happily, flexing her little arms.

"Gorgeous Gold," finished Mitsu, flicking her hair back with a flourish.

"Is it time?" asked Setsuko, seeing the look on Sakura's face. The pinkette nodded glumly and the Charas silently packed their own belongings, placing the small items in Sakura's last open box. When they were done, Sakura began moving her boxes out of her room and into the main hallway, ready for transportation.

Walking back inside her room, Sakura looked around.

The walls were bare; the bed was stripped of its sheets and the plain dresser empty, the built-in closet open and filled only with bare hangers. It looked abandoned, and never lived-in. She wondered how anyone could look at a room like this and see anything but a blank canvas – Sakura hated to leave behind a place with no proof of her existence. It felt too ghost-like, as though she had never been there in her live.

Biting her lip, Sakura spotted something under the dresser and crouched down, reaching to pull it out. Her eyes widened instantly as she took in the sight of her broken mahogany box, the lid askew and the smashed glass cherry blossom in clear view inside. Simply staring at this broken memory she was shocked – even though it had no practical or aesthetic use anymore, this ornament still held meaning and could still push her to wonder – what would her father say if he saw her give in like this?

Scowling, Sakura clutched the box to her body protectively.

She had to leave. She was just a child, after all – nothing she could say would convince Tsunade to allow her to stay.

Sakura paused.

What about something she could do?

{-}

Tsunade walked out of the kitchen, towards Sakura's room. She sighed sadly, knowing that the girl was unhappy about moving again – it really was for the best, though. She would hurt, and she would long for everyone she would be leaving behind, but this was better than the heartbreak she would feel if Tsunade allowed her to continue seeing that Tsukiyomi boy. She stood by the doorway and knocked, but received no reply.

"Sakura," she called, "I'm sorry. I know you want to stay, but..."

_Knock, knock_

"Hold on," she muttered to the pinkette, walking to the front door. Opening it, Tsunade was greeted by the worried face of Shizune. In the younger woman's arms was her pet pig, Tonton. "What is it?"

"The neighbours said they saw Sakura climbing through her window!" she cried, scared for the safety of the child.

"How?" frowned the blonde, "She's in her room, I was just..." she trailed off, her eyes widening and her pupils shrinking in fear. Bolting for the pinkette's room, Tsunade shoved the door open and froze.

Blue curtains blew in the light wind from the open window.

The room was empty of life.

{-}

Sakura shifted the backpack on her shoulder, the weight of it slowing her down a little. Having packed a variety of things she would need, Sakura had made a hasty escape from Tsunade's apartment through her window. She's ignored the yelling from the neighbours – who were on the street, having just gotten home – and ran with the hope that, by the time Tsunade realised she was gone she would have gotten far enough.

Her phone began ringing and she checked it, wincing when she saw that it was Tsunade calling her. Rejecting the call, Sakura trekked on. She wasn't sure where she was going, or even how long she was going carry on, but she knew that she wouldn't leave without a fight. Frowning from the effort of carrying her heavy bag, Sakura found a bench and rested for a moment, staring up at the sky.

"Saku-chan," said Katsumi to get her attention, "we can't keep running. You have to go back."

"I won't," Sakura protested. She stood from the bench and glanced at her Charas. "I can't leave another place, just when I've grown to love it."

{-}

Kukai spotted her when she was resting on the bench.

At first, he wasn't going to draw any attention to himself. After she had rejected him, Kukai decided that the best thing was to give her space for a while before approaching her again, starting over with friendship and seeing where it went from there – hopefully, a little better than last time. However, when he spotted the rather large backpack she was struggling with, he was far too curious to remain silent.

"Sakura!" he called, waving a hand. She turned towards him sharply, looking confused, before her face cleared and she smiled.

"Hi, Kukai," she greeted when he got closer. Sakura put her bag back on the bench and tilted her head, "What're you doing here?"

"Walking home," he stated, nodding to the soccer ball under his arm. Sakura hummed considering. "Where were you headed?"

"Uhh, that's a little harder to explain," she muttered, looking away. Sensing her discomfort, Kukai bit his lip and frowned.

"Do you want to come over mine for a while?" he offered, noticing the way her eyes lit up, "You can stay for dinner, if my parents agree," he added, hoping to brighten the already happy look on her face. It worked and Sakura beamed at him as she nodded, moving to pick up her bag. Kukai beat her to it, and instead pressed his soccer ball into her arms.

"What're you doing?" asked Sakura, looking at the ball in confusion.

"Trading," Kukai smirked, swinging her bag onto his back. Smiling slightly, Sakura held tighter to his soccer ball. "What've you got in here, anyway? It's heavy!"

"That's also kinda hard to explain," Sakura stated nervously.

"We have time," Kukai retorted, leading the way to his house.

{-}

By the time they had gotten to his house, and Kukai had asked his parents if Sakura could stay for dinner – which she could – the pinkette had very nearly completed her story. Half way through, she had come up with the idea of staying with Kukai, and so she told him all about Tsunade's plan to move, her worries and trials with Ikuto, how much she truly missed her old friends, but how much more she knew she would long for her new ones.

"So, I was hoping to just hang out here for a while," Sakura concluded after explaining her plan to Kukai. She was sitting in his room, the boy in question merely staring at her. "What?"

"You can't do that, Sakura," he told her seriously. She sighed.

"I know," she agreed. "It was a hope, and a shoddy one at that. I just want to stay here, and –"

"You have to go," he said firmly, cutting her off. "Tsunade is your family, and your old friends didn't cause you nearly as much heartache as everyone here has. Think about it; back in Gakure, did you ever get used as a puppet in an evil plot, or did you ever feel insignificant to the point of useless around one other person, or get so confused about your feelings that you would just cry inside until you went numb?"

"...No," Sakura realised quietly, knowing he was right.

"I'll miss you, Sakura," he sighed, "You have no idea how much, but you need to go. It's what's best. I want you to be happy – you'll miss it for a while, but in the end your life won't be nearly so messed up. You could go back to living a normal life. You'll even connect better now, since there are people back there with Charas and _no_ Easter!"

"Oh, yeah," Sakura murmured, remembering Itachi and Kisame, and everyone else the older Uchiha had told her about. She then recalled Naruto, and how he seemed to almost know there were Charas there, and that he would probably hatch one soon. She smiled.

"You know it," Kukai nodded.

"Yes," Sakura replied. "I guess...I have to go."

Then he just held her, holding back tears at the knowledge that he may never hold her again, and Sakura thought about how life would be back in Gakure.

{-}

When Sakura had gotten back home, Tsunade had lectured her about running off until the moving van arrived. Then it was just a case of packed everything away into the van and piling in, with Tsunade driving, Sakura in the middle and Shizune in the passenger seat, holding Tonton. Katsumi, Setsuko, Mari and Mitsu were in the back, taking a nap in their eggs. They were excited about getting to know new Chara friends but, much like Sakura, they knew they would miss their current friend too much.

Sakura felt cold all over as a jolt burst through her, much like a few days prior when Minami had a Chara Nari and become a Nazo Chara. She felt a pull, her every instance begging her to find and resolve the issue, but she couldn't and it was killing her. The feeling grew the further she got from wherever she was meant to be until finally it disappeared all together. With her last link gone, Sakura finally allowed herself to cry.

She was really leaving.

Having left her old bed behind – it being a piece of furniture owned by the landlord – Sakura never thought to look under it.

A grey egg lay still beneath the bed.


	7. Tears and Reunions

Chapter Seven

It was sunny when they arrived.

Sakura was slightly disappointed that, unlike in all the movies she'd seen, the weather did _not_ reflect her mood.

'_Pathetic fallacy my ass,'_ she thought glumly as she sun shone right in her eyes.

"Now, Sakura, when we arrive there are some things I have to sort out with the school, so I'll be busy on the phone for a little while," Tsunade explained, her eyes trained on the road.

"And I'll be headed down to the hospital to finalise mine and Tsunade's transfer papers, and make sure everything's in order," Shizune added. "The movers will unload our things, and you can start unpacking your room –"

"Or you can explore," the blonde cut in. Sakura, unimpressed by the idea, raised an eyebrow. "Reacquaint yourself with the area; see what's changed and what's still the same, maybe meet up with some old friends, and –"

"Stay out of your way?" Sakura interrupted this time, sighing. Frowning deeply at her attitude, Tsunade slammed on the break, both passengers straining against their seatbelts when she did so.

"Listen," she began firmly, "I know you're not happy about this. Moving around is hard, but when I adopted you, I promised that I would do my best to protect you, care for you, provide for you, and _keep you safe_. Gakure is a place both of us has called home, a place that offers only fond memories, and therefore I thought it would be better for everyone to come back here."

"I get it," Sakura muttered sadly.

"No, I don't think you do," the blonde continued, her hands clenching the steering wheel. "I am doing nothing but thinking of you. Would you prefer a new place, somewhere different? I can do that, Sakura – it would take a little time, but it's possible. Would you rather just leave the country, because something can be arranged, I promise! What I will _not_ do is allow you to remain in a place that has caused you pain."

"I had good memories there, too," the pinkette tried to defend.

"Not as many as the bad ones," Tsunade countered and the pinkette bit her lip.

'_That isn't true!'_ she longed to yell, _'I got my Charas, I made new friends, I fell in love, then out of love, and in love again – I felt like a normal girl there, but I felt special, too! I need that feeling!'_

Of course, Tsunade wouldn't understand it. She wouldn't know the pain rooted in Sakura's heart that sprung from leaving behind Yaya, Ikuto, and Kukai. Even Amu, Rima and Tadase were a big part of her life that she never wanted to give up. One day, she would leave – she would move, go to college, travel the world, or whatever else she wanted in the future. All her plans, however, involved taking a certain someone with her.

"Also, I got you a new phone," added the busty women, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a light blue flip-up phone. "It has a new number, and Shizune and I are programmed in."

"What about my old one?" murmured the girl as she took the new phone from Tsunade's hands, staring down at it almost forlornly – she didn't know the numbers of her friends by heart, and didn't want to lose contact just like that.

"It has been disconnected," the blonde informed her. "I didn't want your problems following you here."

"They weren't _problems_," Sakura cried, "They were my friends – my family!"

"I'm sorry, Sakura," Tsunade offered quietly, "but I can't stand to see you in pain over then any more. You'll understand one day."

"I'm in pain _now_," she whimpered, clutching the new phone tightly as tears sprung up in her eyes.

Without a word, Tsunade resumed driving to their new house.

{-}

It was two hours later that Sakura was sat in her new room. The place was painfully bare – the walls a pale yellow colour, mocking her like the sun with its optimism, and the carpet was sea-blue. So, her room looked like a beech, and not in a good way. The single bed had white sheets, and at the foot of the bed was an empty bookcase, across from a bare desk with a wheelie chair – the one good thing about this room. Beside the desk was a built-in wardrobe, which was also empty.

Three boxes sat by the door on the inside of the room, holding everything she owned – her entire life fit into three cardboard containers. They were fairly large, but still. Watching Tsunade and Shizune pack box after box of personal belongings made her long to remain even more, knowing that her life wasn't measured in the things she owned, but the people she knew, and she would miss them more than anything.

Heck, she would even miss the Kiddie King!

Her eyes moved downwards, away from the boxes as her mind went to Ikuto, Yaya and Kukai, but the teenage boy was more prominent at the front of her mind. She wondered if he missed her, if he was thinking of her right now – if he even knew she was gone. A cynical part of her mind whispered that he didn't care, he was glad she was gone, and it caused her heart to ache as she thought of him replacing her with Amu.

Sakura shook her head suddenly – thinking of Ikuto and Amu together was dangerous for her, especially after the Easter thing. Her mind instead when to a safer topic, Yaya. She mused that the orangette would be whinging and whining about her sudden disappearance. She would be trying to call, but would be unable to get through, since the number she had was now disconnected.

The pinkette glared at the powder blue phone sat innocently atop the boxes, two numbers programmed in and not one of them belonging to her friends. She would miss hearing Yaya's voice as the carrot-top complained, begging for attention as a baby would, with Pepe sat on her shoulder, the baby Chara acting more mature than her owner.

Glancing up at her Charas as they floated around the room, imagining ways to make it more personal to them and their owner, Sakura began to wonder how they were taking the transition. She then felt incredibly selfish. Sure, Sakura would greatly miss her old home, but that place was all her girls knew – they had no history in Gakure, and everyone they had even known was either back in her old town or moved elsewhere, like Kairi. They had no connection to Gakure past it being Sakura's old home.

Determined to stop moping, if only for their sake, Sakura put on a smile and cleared her throat, gaining their attention.

"I thought that we'd go out and explore," she suggested, seeing their faces brighten up.

"Sounds great!" cheered Mari.

"This would be acceptable," Setsuko nodded.

"Yay, new people!" yelled Katsumi, turning to Mitsu, who hummed.

"Will there be slaves?" she enquired, her eyes widening a second later as she stumbled to correct herself, "Boys – I meant _boys_."

Deciding to take advantage of the sunny day, Sakura took Tsunade's advice and planned to go out and re-familiarise herself with Gakure. It was a school day – and only late morning, so even those who left campus for lunch wouldn't come across her – so she didn't expect that she would run into any old friends. This was exactly her plan; to get used to the place again before meeting up with the people she knew and getting to know anyone new.

She also took this time to show her Charas around, knowing that even though they were born of her, they were new here themselves. Her thoughts then turned to Katsumi and she smiled, wondering how the cat-loving Chara would react to her friend Kiba and his family, who ran a kennel for stray or abandoned dogs, while raising up and breeding dogs such as Shiba Inu. She then wondered on Mari's reaction to the same thing, being the dog-lover she is.

"Saku-chan, this place is so green!" she heard Mari gasp, looking around the streets in awe.

"I know," smiled the pinkette. "It's just as beautiful as I remember."

{-}

Neji had taken the day off. He had told his teacher that he was 'conducting research' for one of his classes – he hadn't even bothered to say which one, yet she still believed him. He thought it was a true credit to how much his teachers trusted him, even in a blatant lie such as this, that they would let him go with no further questioning. He was, after all, the top of his class and the most promising student his middle school had seen in years.

So, he decided to wander that day, having nothing better to do and not really wanting to return to school. His friends from elementary school, Tenten and Rock Lee, were both in a different class anyway, so he was stuck with a room full of fangirls and other students he didn't know or wish to talk to. It was an annoyance to have to put up with the squealing and giggling out of school, on his walks to and from his home, but to deal with it in class was a bore.

Turning a corner into the park, the young Hyuuga pondered his future. It wasn't overly uncommon for Neji to entertain such thoughts, being the level-headed and goal oriented person he was. He wondered if he would stay and help run his uncle's company after he left school, if he would go to college, and if he did, would it be in Gakure – somewhere like ANBU Academy – or would he leave and go elsewhere.

When Neji first saw the shock of pink hair, he'd thought his mind was playing tricks on him. So, he ignored it and went on his way, turning his thoughts from the future to the past. The pink hair reminded him of his old friend, Haruno Sakura. He'd met her through his cousin, Hinata, and had slowly but surely grown attached to her – it was no wonder, considering how she and Ino had followed him around, the pinkette blushing like one of his fangirls when he caught them out.

He smirked slightly. Sakura's crush on him had been obvious from day one, but he'd never told her that he may have felt a similar way. He knew of Sakura's past – moving around and never settling down for too long – and was afraid of losing her if she became more than a friend to him. It hurt enough to let go of the pinkette the day she left, and he didn't wish to know how much greater the pain would have been if she and he had expressed their feelings.

Frowning, Neji spotted it again – that same flash of pink hair – and this time his curiosity was snagged. He moved quickly in the direction of the light colour, hoping to catch it and satisfy the feeling in his gut that this very shade of pink was so familiar. It remained just out of reach, the candyfloss strands darting around a corner as he came closer, or moving down some stairs when he reached the top. He quickly became frustrated.

Looking all over, his eyes moving widely to catch the pink haired person, Neji set off in a sprint when he stopped them moving towards a more wooded area of the park. The last thing he wanted was to lose them in the trees. He breathed steadily as he ran, catching up quickly but not fast enough, and he knew that they would be in the forest before he reached them. Stopping for a moment, Neji cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Hey, wait!" he yelled, getting their attention on the first try.

The person turned.

{-}

Sakura had been blissfully unaware of the Hyuuga trying to catch her as she wandered aimlessly around the park. At first she was just walking over the fields and through the play area, but she and her Charas became bored of this quickly and so they sought out other means of entertainment. This entailed wandering around the scattered buildings, up and down stairs on the steep incline that led up to a beautiful picnic area, and finally towards the tree line that signalled the beginning of the 'Forest of Death' – as it was often called by teenagers attempting to scare their younger siblings.

Throughout her walk, Sakura had this strange feeling that she was being followed, but she daren't look for the fear of it being someone she didn't want to see, or just her own mind making her suspicious. The pinkette had hoped that she had left her paranoia back with Easter and the Guardians, but she still felt as though someone would jump out and attack her at any moment.

That was when she heard his voice.

"Hey, wait!"

Sakura turned, her eyes widening.

{-}

When Neji saw her, this breath caught in this throat. It had been so long since he's last laid eyes on this pink-haired girl that, at first, he wasn't even sure it was her, but no one could dream of mistaking those big green eyes, so full of recognition that, were this not who he thought it was, there must be someone else in the world who looked as eerily similar to him as there was her, which would – let's face it – be pretty strange. As though to test the waters a little, Neji took a cautious step towards the oh-so-painfully familiar girl while she did the same and began to slowly move towards him. Their steps got faster the closer they got, further recognition filling their eyes as the 'maybe' became a 'how can it _not_ be'. Neji knew it was her, and she knew it was him' neither dared think of how heartbreaking it would be, were they proven wrong.

It was like a scene in one of those cheesy old movies, where the couple see each other again after _oh so long_. Their eyes meet, they double-take, unsure if it's really them, before running towards one another in slow-motion, meeting in the middle for a long-awaited kiss as the audience pulls out their tissues and begin sniffling.

Except, there is no slow-motion, and there is no kiss.

There is only the ghost of what Sakura once felt for him and a longing in her heart for the person she truly want to share that movie scene with.

"Sakura?" whispered Neji, as though she would disappear if he was too loud.

"It's been a while, Neji," smiled the pinkette. Relief flooded through the Hyuuga and the boy darted forwards, enveloping her in a hug. Sakura returned the embrace happily, having genuinely missed the brunette. "How are you? Is school okay? I can't believe you're in middle school now! Are the classes hard?"

"Slow down," smiled the Hyuuga, holding her at arm's length as his eyes drank in her appearance. She looked different, older, more tired, yet her eyes held a deeper joy that he had never seen in her before. It was almost as if she had found something, or someone, to keep her spirits high even in the most difficult of times.

"Sorry, I've just missed you," the girl admitted, blushing slightly when he smirked and held her close again.

"I've missed you, too."

{-}

We find the pair two hours later, eating dango and catching up on their lives since they last saw each other. Neji is doing great in middle school – "I'll bet you're the top student, right, nerd?" – while Sakura's grade had begun slipping recently – "At least I can keep up my concentration for more than two minutes at a time" – and both had tiptoed around the topic of anything emotional or deep. The last time they had seen each other, they almost had a 'thing', but now neither wanted to ruin the moment by bringing it up.

"So then, Akamaru jumped on Kakashi-sensei's head and –"

"Wait, what time is it?" asked Sakura suddenly, spotting school uniforms out of the cafe window. Neji raised an eyebrow at her interruption and looked at his phone.

"Half four, why?" he replied curiously. The pinkette bit her up and stood.

"I have to get home," she told him, "I didn't want to run into anyone today," the girl added, glancing at her Charas to make sure they were with her. Neji stood too and grabbed her hand before she could flee.

"You already ran into me," he stated slowly. "What's the harm in seeing everyone else?"

"That would make this too real," Sakura admitted, looking down. "I missed everyone so much, but I'm just not ready to throw myself back into Gakure again. I need to take...baby steps," she said. Neji nodded and cleared his throat.

"I totally understand, but..." he trailed off, his eyes going towards the door meaningfully. Slightly confused, Sakura followed his eye-line and gasped.

"Is that you, Sakura?"

{-}

Back at the house, Tsunade was unpacking the living room when an envelope fell through the door. Curious – since she now had mail not even a day after moving into her new home – the blonde walked over and picked up the post, frowning when she saw that it was forwarded from the old apartment and addressed to Sakura. Something about the handwriting made her open the envelope and what she saw inside did not please her at all.

Making a final decision, Tsunade placed the letter back into the envelope and stored it in a locked drawer in her room.


	8. Settling In

Chapter Eight

"Sakura, is that you?"

This was the last person Sakura expected to see today.

This was the last person Sakura _wanted_ to see today.

She had met him after a few months of living in Gakure, after she'd become friends with Ino, Hinata, Naruto and Sasuke, but before Gaara, his siblings and the older gang. To say they didn't get along would have been a _gross_ understatement. He and Sakura had _hated_ each other, and it had ultimately built up to a fight. Not a childish playground brawl, but a real fight.

By the end of it, he'd beaten her up quite badly, but she'd landed in a few good hits, too – she attributed this to an old spark of what would one day become Mari. He'd eventually caught her by the hair and, just before she'd used a pair of sharp scissors to cut off her locks in an attempt to escape, Sasuke dove in – as if out of nowhere – and left him with two broken arms and a severely damaged pride.

He had grown, not that he wasn't always taller than her. His black, spiky hair still stood up on end, leaning slightly to the left, as a result of far too much gel and free time; though it seemed to have gotten longer around his face since the last time she had seen him. His eyes were still as dark and sharp as ever, and he still had an obsession with wearing shirts that bore the kanji 'shi' – meaning 'death', which had always managed to freak her out a little.

"Hello, Zaku," Sakura greeted coldly. Neji's eyes narrowed – he had heard of the fight; everyone had. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, it's been ages," he replied, almost nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. Sakura's eyes flickered to his arm and her eyes narrowed.

"I see your arms healed," she bit. He jolted, freezing with one arm lowering and the other by his side, before he nodded.

"Oh, yeah," he agreed, rubbing his arm. "It took a while. I guess you're all healed up, too. I heard you broke a rib."

"_I_ heard _you_ broke it," Neji cut in with a sneer. Biting his lip, Zaku lowered his head as though he were ashamed. Something on his shoulder caught Sakura's attention, but she ignored it with a sharp shake of her head. Setsuko, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes and floated forwards, over his shoulder.

"Come back!" yelled Katsumi when she noticed her sister disappearing behind the boy who made her owner so angry. Curious by nature, Mari was soon to join her blue sister and Mitsu, not wanting to be left with a raving Katsumi, quickly followed her.

"Hello, there," the youngest heard the second oldest say as she floated over Zaku's shoulder. Mitsu's eyes widened and she turned, looking closely at the boy and noticing, for the first time, that his lowered head was actually hiding his gaze – he was looking right at her.

"I see you have four, huh?" Zaku spoke after a moment. Neji's eyes filled with confusion, but Sakura's widened.

"And you?" she attempted. Showing the first cheerful expression she had ever seen on his face, Zaku smiled.

"Pretty boy doesn't," he added, ignoring her question. "Maybe this should be for a different place?"

"Sure," Sakura nodded, standing. "I'll see you later, Neji."

"Are you sure this is such a good idea, Sakura?" asked the brunette, still eyeing Zaku.

"I'll call you later," she told him, dismissing his concern. If Zaku tired anything, she had four Chara Nari she could fall back on. "Bye," she bid the long-haired boy, following the older one out of the dango shop. "So?" she tried again when they were on the street, walking side-by-side.

"Just one," he told her. "His name's Kimimaro," he added and, as though this was a new way of calling someone over, an unfamiliar Chara appeared on Zaku's shoulder. Seeing that their new friend had gone, the girls appeared around Sakura, too.

Kimimaro had pale skin, vivid green eyes lined in red, two dots on his forehead over his eyebrows, and shoulder-length white hair, which he divided down the middle of his head in a 'zigzag' hair parting with two red, tube-like hair ornaments; one on either side of his head, securing two locks of his silvery-white hair. He wore a light lavender, loose-fitting, long-sleeved, zip-up shirt, black pants cut off around mid-calf, bandages wrapped around his ankles, traditional shinobi sandals, and a purple, rope-like belt tied in an inverted bow around his waist.

"What's he...?" she trailed off, unsure how to word the question but knowing that Zaku would understand.

"I wanted to be calmer; control my anger," he explained. "Kimimaro was born when I was in hospital after our fight, when I heard about how badly I'd hurt you. It was Sasuke who broke my arms – you didn't actually do too much damage, but I still hurt you so badly, just because I was angry."

"What were you angry at?" she asked, ignoring the sting of her wounded pride when he'd said she didn't really hurt him at all.

"I couldn't even remember!" he laughed, but there was no humour in it. "I think that was why I felt so guilty, y'know? It was something so stupid that I couldn't even remember it afterwards, and yet I started a fight with you because of it, just because you were the only person around that I didn't get on with. Then I was an idiot to taunt Sasuke, telling him that I'd beaten you up and there was 'nothing he could do about it'. It was so stupid!"

"At least you got Kimimaro out of it," Sakura smiled, her eyes not leaving the strange, beautiful Chara. Zaku nodded absent-mindedly, his eyes darting between the four Charas floating around the pinkette. She noticed his shifting gaze and sighed. "Yeah, four – it's not all that common, huh?"

"I know someone with two, but never more than that," he muttered. "What're their names?"

"Girls?" allowed Sakura, looking between them.

"I'm Katsumi; the oldest and bringer of love and charisma," the red Chara winked.

"My name is Setsuko," the feminine Chara continued, "and I represent Saku-chan's want for femininity and maturity."

"Yo!" the green Chara grinned, "I'm Mari, and I'm the part of Saku-chan that likes to be strong and protect others!"

There was a long silence and everyone turned to Mitsu, whose eyes were locked on to Kimimaro. He was staring straight back with a blank look and the golden Chara raised an eyebrow. Their staring contest persisted, neither backing down and both looking almost regal as they almost glared in a most elegant way at each other. It was Katsumi that broke up the look with an almost typical assumption of hers.

"Ooo, does little Mitsu have a crush on Kimi-kun?" she cooed, pinching her youngest sister's cheek.

"Hardly," Mitsu denied, turning a little pink as she frowned at her sister. "He's just harder to enslave than most."

"Enslave?" echoed Zaku, looking a little confused. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Don't ask," she warned. "Mitsu, are you going to introduce yourself or what?"

"Fine; my name's Mitsu and I represent Saku-chan longing to be loving and warm to everyone around her," she said in a huff.

"Oh, yeah," Zaku said sarcastically, "you can feel the love and warmth you radiate."

"Please," Mitsu snorted, turning her nose up at both Zaku and Kimimaro.

"Was it something I said?" asked the white-haired Chara, speaking for the first time. At the sound of his voice, the older three female Charas grew hearts in their eyes as they whirled around and swooned over him. Sakura raised an eyebrow, amusement playing at her lips, and Zaku sighed.

"He's also a bit of an accidental charmer," he excused, seeing the girls fanning themselves as though they were hot. Mitsu observed her sisters and growled.

"How dare he even _think_ to enslave my sisters," she grumbled, folding her arms as she decided that this Kimimaro would be her new rival. Kimimaro, for his part, was completely unaware of his effect on any of the girls.

"This could be interesting," hummed Sakura, her eyes moving to Zaku when he sighed, rubbing his head. "What's wrong?"

"This very situation," he stated bluntly. "I always imagined how it would go if I ever saw you again. I pictured myself begging forgiveness or ignoring you completely, but I never saw us having a normal conversation and imagining that the past never happened."

"I'm not imagining anything," Sakura scowled, "but physical wounds heal, and you didn't really leave any psychological damage. I never really thought about what happened until I saw you again. Besides, getting a Shugo Chara out of your want to be less violent is the most honest way of proving you want to change."

"So what does that say about you?" he laughed, nodding his head at Mari, who was still fawning over Kimimaro while Mitsu was trying her best to drag her sisters away from him.

"Many things," she grumbled. Her phone beeped and she frowned. "Hang on a second," she said, looking at her new text.

_Got a late shift at the hospital, won't be home until midnight. Make some dinner for yourself and bed by 10 – Tsunade_

"Who's it from?" asked Zaku curiously.

"Doesn't matter," Sakura replied, putting her phone away. "Anyway; I never forgave you, but I guess I just forgot. I can't even remember how I felt about you back then, just that I didn't like you very much."

"Can we change that?" he asked hopefully. "I know we'll never be 'the best of friends', or whatever, but can we at least try to be civil?"

"What do you think we're doing now?" Sakura smiled up at him. "Look, I have to go, but..." she trailed off, pulling out her phone, "What's your number?"

After exchanging numbers and promising to meet up again sometime soon, Sakura left the second-year middle school student in order to go home, quickly before anyone else found her. Neji and Zaku made two too many people who now knew she was back, and they would probably tell their friends – or, at least, Neji would. So, it came as no surprise to her later, when she received a call from a certain brown-hair high-school student.

"Hello?" she answered the phone cautiously. Sakura was sat on her bed, her Charas snoozing in their eggs.

"_Sakura?_" replied Hana,"_Oh, wow; I thought Kiba was kidding around when he said you were back. Then again...I guess knows better than to lie to me by now, huh?_"

"I'm sorry for not talking to you sooner, Hana-nee," she apologised, sounding very ashamed. Out of everyone she had ever known Hana was the closest to being everything she had dreamed an older sister would be – she listened to her problems, gave advice, shared her deepest thoughts, encouraged her, beat up bullies for her, and even giggled over boys. She even had the negative traits of being a big sister, like stealing her dessert, and arguing over pointless things as though they mattered. The only flaw was; Hana _wasn't_ her older sister; she was Kiba's.

"_No problem, kid_," the Inuzuka assured.

"How did you get my number?" she asked, not unkindly but purely out of curiosity. Hana seemed to understand this, and she laughed.

"_Well, your friend Neji was giving it out like it was the answer to the question of life, and I got it from Kiba a little while ago,_" she told her truthfully. Sakura scowled, mentally preparing herself for not only the onslaught of calls and texts she was bound to receive, but also the up-coming slaughter of one Hyuuga Neji.

'_No, officer, I have no idea how strands of my hair got on the crime scene,_' she rehearsed mentally. '_Yes, I knew him, but we weren't overly close. He seems like the type to give out personal information on a whim, and I'm not overly fond of people like that._'

"_Yo, you still there_?" she heard Hana ask and realised that she had zoned out for a bit.

"Oh, yeah, I'm here," the pinkette said quickly.

"_Well, listen,_" she began, "_My mom wants to know if you want to come over for dinner tonight? It's been ages since we've seen you, and the only reason I'm asking instead of Kiba is because I got to the phone first._"

"Well..." she trailed off, frowning when she recalled her text from Tsunade about her late shift. "Sure, that sounds good. What time do you want me over?"

"_No time like the present!_" Hana laughed, "_Just come over when you want. Mom's gonna start cooking in about an hour, but it'd be fine if you wanted to come over early and hang out with me and Kiba._"

"I'd love to, but I still have unpacking to do," Sakura excused, looking around her room at the boxes. "Is it okay if I come over in about forty five minutes?"

"_No problem, kid. See you soon!_" Hana bid, hanging up.

"Bye," Sakura muttered, putting her phone down. She sighed heavily.

Deciding to do as she had said she would, Sakura moved to the boxes in her room and began unpacking. She started with her clothes, managing to fit them all into her wardrobe and chest of drawers with only a little re-arranging – realising at this point that she had more clothes than she thoughts. After the clothing, she moved on to unpack the box of random trinkets and photographs that she cherished.

The first photo frame she picked up was filled with pictures of her first New Year with the Guardians. It held five photos, all in a line, beginning with the one of her and Yaya and ending with the group-shot of all six guardians. The next frame she pulled out was of just her and Kukai, him in his middle school uniform and her in the girl's school uniform, both of them looking a little uncomfortable standing as close as his parents made them, but extremely happy.

Reaching into the box again, Sakura's hand hit something soft and she withdrew it, her eyes widening.

"_You missed me enough to buy that thing?" he mused, "What a creepy little stalker you are."_

She looked into the dark button eyes of the cat plushie and frowned, her thoughts not once straying from Ikuto. Bringing the plushie closer to her, she held it tightly, tears springing to her eyes. She missed him; more than she was willing to admit, even in her own mind. Stroking the head of the plushie, she imagined his hair, the same colour but softer and longer than the fake fur on the cat plushie.

"You miss him," Setsuko's soothing voice broke her trance. She blinked, looking up and away from the plushie sharply. The blue Chara looked sad as she stared at the cat doll. "I miss Yoru," she whispered, also petting the plushie slowly, thoughtfully. "Why can we not go back?" she asked innocently, a glistening of tears filling her eyes.

"I don't know," Sakura admitting, carrying the plushie to her bed and setting it down softly before getting ready to go to the Inuzuka's home for dinner.

{-}

Dressed in a simple, plain red t-shirt and blue jeans, Sakura knocked on the house of Tsume, Hana and Kiba Inuzuka. It felt strange to be back after so long and still know her way around as though she had never left. She wondered if Kiba had missed her, or if their conversation would be awkward now. While Kiba was never her best friend, and their friendship had always been completely platonic, he was always the one she had the easiest conversations with – mainly because neither of them cared if the other one thought what they said was weird.

She knocked quietly, at first, but her knocking went unanswered – probably due to how lightly she had done it. Swallowing her nerves and taking a deep breath, Sakura tried again, this time harder. Instantly, there was a lot of barking – five dogs, but the sounds of it, but Sakura already knew that. The pup she was looking forward to seeing most was, of course, little Akamaru, Kiba's puppy, though Hana's three dogs came in at a close second.

"I'll get it!" yelled a familiar voice and the door flung open, causing Sakura to come face-to-face with none other than Inuzuka Kiba. "Sakura!" he grinned, gathering her quickly in a hug.

"It's good to see you, Kiba," she breathed, hugging him back.

{-}

After a lovely dinner and a session of catching up with Kiba, Sakura came home, finding Tsunade holding three envelopes and making her way upstairs. This was odd, considering one of Tsunade's main rules of living was to open letters as soon as you got them – right there in the hall, always. So, to see her taking letters upstairs was an odd occurrence. Shrugging it off, Sakura took off her jacket and hung it on the pegs in the hall before making her way to her room to get ready for bed.


	9. Charas, Charas, Everywhere!

Chapter Nine

Once again, the sun was shining brightly. This time, however, it reflected Sakura's mood a little better. After spending a few hours the previous day with Neji, and then meeting Zaku again and getting over their differences – and meeting a new Shugo Chara – her thoughts about coming to Gakure were becoming more positive.

Of course, she still missed Ikuto, Yaya, and even Amu sometimes, but she was accepting her move more as the days went on...

...Just as Tsunade had hoped.

{-}

Since she still had a few days before she started school, Sakura decided to go out again today, this time with the _intention_ of finding some old friends. Of course, she knew that most of them would be in school, but hoped to perhaps visit old man Ichiraku at his ramen hut, and his daughter Ayame, or even go to see Ino's parents at the flower shop.

Instead, she ran into the adult that used to freak her out somewhat as a child, when he used to talk to himself. Know now, however, that he was an adult in possession of a Shugo Chara, Sakura was instantly happy to see him.

"Uchiha-san!" she called, running across the street to catch up with him. The suit-wearing man slowed and raised an eyebrow upon seeing her pink hair; the other joined it near his hair-line when he saw the four Charas floating along behind her.

"Ah, Sakura-san?" Madara attempted, making sure he had remembered her name. "I haven't seen you for a while; did you and Sasuke-kun have a falling out?"

"Err, I move away," she explained, rubbing her neck nervously, "but, anyway, I just wanted to know; how is it that you still have a Shugo Chara?"

"That's not really conversation for the street, Sakura-san," he said in a low tone, steering her towards the nearest cafe. Taking a seat in a corner, Madara eyed her Charas with interest. "I see you have four. Mine is named Tobi," he told her, raising a hand. In his palm was a slumbering Chara dressed completely in black with an orange swirled mask – the only visible part of him was his hair, which was also black.

"Mine are Katsumi, Setsuko, Mari and Mitsu," Sakura beams, each of the girls nodding as they were introduced.

{-}

Uchiha Madara had to get to a meeting, and so Sakura wasn't all that surprised when he left the cafe not twenty minutes later. The slumbering Tobi had woken up after about five minutes of questioning from Sakura, and he had been completely adorable – if not a little annoying. He was fun-loving, spirited and referred to himself in the third person, but had won-over even Mari. Setsuko found him a little more irritating that the others, her being the mature one, but even she had to admit that he was cute – if only when he was sleeping.

Madara had told Sakura that Tobi was still with him because he still needed him, and Shugo Charas never disappear, but return to your heart when you have learned all you need and changed for the better, which he was still struggling with, admittedly. He had also assured her that her Charas would not all vanish at once, as he had once owned two until the age of twenty one, when he became a confident businessman and the Chara that represented this desire had returned as a part of his heart that he would never forget.

She felt much more at ease knowing that her Charas would never truly be gone from her. It was one thing to be told this by people of around her age, but to hear it from a man who had experienced it was something that no one could match. Her thoughts went to Amu, who she knew was having the same worries as her, but then she dismissed the memory before it became too painful. So, instead, Sakura pondered who she might meet up with next.

Of course, it didn't take long to run into the world's most loveable skiver himself, Uzumaki Naruto.

"Sakura-chan!" the blonde yelled happy, charging over towards her.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" asked Sakura, though inwardly she was jumping for joy at seeing one of her best friends so soon. "Shouldn't you be in school right now?"

"Maybe," he evaded, "but I've got great news!"

"What is it?" she asked, confused, but Naruto scooped her up in a hug.

"You're back!" he cheered as though she didn't already know. Sakura laughed as he spun her around in his happiness before putting her carefully back down, his eyes widening as he looked around her.

"What is it?" she asked, frowning. He pointed directly at Katsumi, his jaw dropping.

"You have a ghost-thing, too!" he yelled. "I knew I wasn't crazy! Teme said I was crazy, but I'm not! Please, tell me you can see them!"

{-}

"I can't keep hiding them, Shizune," Tsunade sighed over her coffee as she and Shizune sat in her office at the hospital during their lunch break. "They're all writing her – daily! She's starting to come to terms with the move, but I feel awful!"

"I don't know what to tell you," Shizune frowned. "On the one hand, it is extremely wrong to hide her mail. It could be important, one of her friends could be hurt, and they can't contact her over the phone."

"That was wrong, too," the blonde woman sighed. "I just...I felt so protective over her. When Sakura left Gakure, she was still so happy and spirited, and care-free. The Sakura I found in that place looked bone-tired, like she's seen it all and was just waiting for another terrifying event to creep up behind her and turn her world around."

"Like you did with this move," cut in the younger woman. Tsunade gave her a side-long look, but sighed wearily.

"I know," she agreed. "I just wanted to bring her to the last place that had made her happy. I don't know what happened to her while she was in Seiyo, and I don't know why she seemed so much older than she was, why she just looked like she had given up."

"She didn't," Shizune interrupted again, "or, at least, not completely. I know what you're saying; she looked exhausted with life, but there was a light in her eyes every time that young orange-haired girl came to the door, and her whole face lit up around the Tsukiyomi boy. She had joy there, and she had just lost her father! I was frankly amazed that she was managing to smile at all!"

"I was completely wrong about this, wasn't I?" groaned Tsunade, suddenly wishing for something with more kick than her black coffee.

"No, not wrong; just misinformed," her friend assured her. "You only wanted what was best for Sakura-chan – you just didn't know how to handle all of this sudden responsibility and...are you okay?" she squeaked, watching the woman's shoulders shaking.

"I never should have taken such control of her life," she sobbed, picturing how upset Sakura had been over the past few days. "I've ruined her, completely! I just stormed in and threw everything up in the air, like I had the right!"

"You're her guardian," Shizune soothed, moving around the desk to wrap an arm around Tsunade's heavy shoulders. "It's your job to protect her, and that's what you thought you were doing. In a way, you did – you just took it too far."

"I'll fix it," promised the blonde through her tears. "I will – soon!"

{-}

"Ghost-things?" she echoed in amusement, looking between her Charas. "You mean the girls?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" he nodded vigorously. "I have one, but you have four! That must get annoying! Mine never shuts up!"

"Hey!" growled a tiny voice as a Chara appeared on Naruto's shoulder. "You are far more irritating than I, and I'm _not_ a _ghost_!" he added as though he had said the same thing a dozen times before.

"If you're not a ghost, then how come only I can see you?" retorted Naruto, looking smug for his 'genius' comeback.

"He's a Shugo Chara, Naruto," Sakura corrected softly. "He's your hopes and dreams, all bundled up into an adorable little Chibi!"

"I am not adorable!" the Chara snapped.

Though, really, he was.

The Chara looked just like Naruto, only with red eyes and longer, darker hair. He also had what looked to be fox-ears on his head and nine fox tails on his back, though no paws. On his cheeks were six whisker-like marks, three on each cheek, and he wore a dark red, traditional yukata that was decorated with black swirls, with a black belt and a pair of sandals to match. He was, in a word, adorable!

"You kinda are," giggled Katsumi, twirling towards him. The younger Chara blushed red and gulped, ducking behind Naruto to hide from her.

"Huh," Naruto mused, "I've never seen him do that before. So, he's really a Shugo Para?"

"_Chara_, and yes," smiled Sakura, walking behind him and scooping the Chara up in her hands.

"I've been trying to tell him for days!" the Chara groaned, still slightly pink but looking rather relaxed as he curled up in her palms. Yawning once, he suddenly seemed full of energy as he sprung up, out of her hands and towards her face, causing Sakura to jerk back. "I'm Kyuubi, nine days old and totally annoyed with that kit!"

"Stop calling me kit!" whined the blonde. Sakura laughed and pinched her friend's cheek.

"I knew you'd get a Chara, Naruto," she praised. "You always had big dreams – it was only a matter of time before one of them hatched! So, which is it? To be the principal? Emperor of Japan? Famous ramen merchant?"

"..." Naruto muttered under his breath, blushing pink as he confessed Kyuubi's purpose to his once-crush.

"I didn't catch that," Sakura said, looking a little sheepish.

"I said; Kyuubi is my want for people to respect me," he sighed, his eyes sad and his expression down-right puppy-like. Sakura's heart thudded painfully just looking at it. Stepping forwards, she held him in a tight hug.

"That's a noble dream, Naruto," she said into his ear, not letting go. "Never be ashamed of it."

"Thanks, Sakura-chan," he grinned when she let go and stepped back. "So, who're your Charas, and what do they represent?"

After the introductions, which were getting a little old already, Sakura and Naruto talked more about what it meant to own a Chara. Kyuubi was just grateful that someone was teaching Naruto this stuff, as he hadn't let Kyuubi anywhere close to the other Charas or Chara-bearers in the town long enough to hear it from them. Sakura laughed when she heard that, imagining Naruto's paranoid face every time Kyuubi tried to talk to someone else.

"So, who else around here has a Chara?" asked Sakura, speaking to Kyuubi. He shrugged, glaring at Naruto.

"Not too sure," he admitted, "since the stupid kit wouldn't even let me out of his bag half the time."

"How come you didn't disappear?" asked Mari curiously. This time, Kyuubi snorted with laughter and Naruto blushed again.

"He accepted me and my existence; he was just too dumb to know what I was, even when I told him," he laughed.

"Typical," Sakura humoured, nudging her friend.

{-}

Eventually, of course, Naruto had been found out.

It was Iruka-sensei who had been the one to spot Naruto in the park, talking to Sakura, and drag him back to school while telling the pinkette that he couldn't wait to see her back in class the following week. She had been polite and thoroughly amused, but now she was lonely. Everyone was in school, and would be for the next four hours at least.

So, figuring that it was a while since she and her Charas had just been with each other, Sakura took them back home and they spend the rest of that time just talking, joking and having fun in each other's company.

{-}

When Sakura decided to go out again, it was without Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari.

The older three Charas had seemed tired and so Sakura had told them to go to sleep for now, and she would be back later. At first she had asked Mitsu if she wanted to stay with her older sisters, but the youngest came back with a retort that left Sakura no reason to not give her some quality time.

}-{

"_Katsumi was born first, so she had you all to herself for the first couple of days," the gold Chara noted. "Setsuko was the one you always took with you when you were only able to take one Chara, because she was usually the best behaved – don't ask how I know this, Mari told me. Speaking of Mari, didn't you spend a whole day with her after she went missing with Suu?"_

"_W-Well, I guess..." Sakura tried to defend, but Mitsu put up a hand to silence her._

"_What about me, huh?" she demanded, wiping crocodile tears away from her eyes. "You haven't even done a Chara Nari with me yet! It's my turn!" she whined, stomping her feet in mid-air._

"_Just take her," groaned Mari. "We're tired and she's loud."_

"_Alright, I guess," Sakura gave in._

"_Victory!" cheered Mitsu, grinning cheekily._

}-{

Therefore, Mitsu was tagging along.

So far, they hadn't bumped into anyone, and Sakura was beginning to lose hope of ever meeting up with the rest of her friends – a bit dramatic, really, but she _was_ with Mitsu, after all. Luckily, the little gold Chara knew how to keep people entertained, and Sakura was having a wonderful time watching the, usually collected, Chara go crazy over her new surroundings. They had made it half way to the old police station – where Sakura was planning on dropping in on Itachi, who worked their part-time with his father and cousin Shisui – when she was tackled.

"I didn't believe them when they said you were back, but here you are, forehead girl!"

{-}

Kukai kicked the soccer ball for all he was worth, but his aim was slightly off and he just missed the goal. There wasn't even a keeper between the posts, guarding the net; he'd just wanted to do penalty shoot-outs to keep his mind off the loss of his pink-haired, green-eyes crush. She hadn't even been gone a week and yet he was beginning to think she had cut off all ties and he would never hear from her again.

Ikuto had stopped by a few times, asking if he had heard from her or anything, but the answer was always 'no'. It worried him that she wasn't even keeping in touch with the cat teen, since he seemed to be the one she was focused around in her last few days there. He thought for a moment, as he collected the ball from by the fence, that it might have been easier on everyone if she had just said 'goodbye'. It didn't even need to be to him – she could have told Ikuto, or Yaya, or Amu, or _someone_ that she was leaving.

Instead, they had to find out the hard way when she hadn't shown up to school and they went round her house, only to hear from the estate agent outside that the previous owners had put the apartment up for sale and had moved away.

He held the ball tightly, Daichi coming to rest on his shoulder as he patted his owner's cheek comfortingly.

Sighing heavily, Kukai decided to write her another letter.

Surely she would respond to this one.

{-}

"Forehead girl, I missed you so much!" wept Yamanaka Ino as she wound her arms around Sakura's neck, both girls still laying on the ground in a mess of arms and legs, and passers-by couldn't help but smile happily and laugh amusedly at this reunion.

"Ino-pig!" realised Sakura with a jolt as she held Ino back just as tightly, her heart aching for this energetic blonde for how much she had missed her best friend. "I was going to go to your flower shop, but I didn't know if you'd be there or not, so I was on my way to see Itachi-nii."

"C'mon," Ino said with a grin that now seemed stuck on her face as she wiped away tears, "you saw Itachi-san when he, Sasuke-kun and the blockhead visited you! I was going to see Hinata-chan – you have to tag along!"

"Sure! I can't wait to see Hinata-chan again," she smiled softly, allowing her to drag her along.

"Does she have a Chara?" whispered Mitsu and Sakura thought for a moment before shrugging. To test her question, Mitsu floated directly in front of Ino, but the blonde didn't even blink. "Hello, my name is Mitsu and you look like the spoilt brat daughter of a boar and a sunflower," she said calmly, but once again Ino didn't react. Sakura, however, was trying not to laugh. "She's not even going to give birth to one soon, Saku-chan; maybe not ever," she sighed dramatically, falling back into her owner's shoulder.

"How have you been, Ino-chan?" asked Sakura, ignoring her Chara for the moment. Ino stopped, still holding on to Sakura's wrist, but she looked down.

"I...I really missed you, forehead," she said in a tone so quiet that it was barely above a whisper. Her shoulders began to shake and Sakura realised with a start that she was crying. "Hinata-chan and I were still close after you left – really, really close – but she... There were things I told you that I could never tell Hinata-chan, or Tenten-sempai, or Temari-nee, or anyone! I needed you the whole time, but I didn't want to annoy you by calling all the time."

"I really missed you too, Ino-chan," Sakura assured her softly, tugging her wrist away and pulling her closest friend into a hug, allowing her to cry on her shoulder.

"When your papa," she stopped to hiccup, "When he died, all I wanted to do was visit you and make sure you were okay, but I couldn't! I tried to call you, but I didn't know what to say! I felt so selfish – I always wanted you to listen to my problems, but I didn't know how to help you with yours!"

"Everything's okay, Ino-chan," Sakura sniffed, tears springing to her own eyes at her friend's heartfelt words. "It's the past now – I forgive you."

"You shouldn't!" she wept, pushing away. "I was horrible for ignoring your pain – you never ignored mine! When my grandpa died, I just wanted to call you and cry, but then I heard about your papa and I didn't want to call you anymore, because I still wanted to morn gramps!" she sobbed outright. "It was a horrible thing to do!"

"Everyone deserves to mourn, Ino-pig," Sakura told her firmly, wiping away Ino's tears from her now-red cheeks. "I didn't know about your grandpa, but I would have done the same as you. I would have been so caught up in my papa's death that I would have avoided talking to you."

"Really?" the blonde sniffled, her eyebrows pulling together.

"Really," the pinkette nodded assuredly. Ino let loose a short, watery laugh that caught slightly in her throat and placed a fingertip to Sakura's forehead.

"I always knew there was a brain big enough to excuse that billboard," she joked with a small, sad smile. Sakura's eyes narrowed, but she decided to let this one go as she hugged her friend again.

{-}

Hyuuga Hinata was sat in her front room, waiting for Ino to come over so that they could do their homework together. It had become somewhat of a tradition for the pair, since before Sakura had left, and they chose to carry it on both in her memory and because it made the work more tolerable. However, Hinata had her own tradition that Ino was completely unaware of. It involved her biggest hopes and dreams, all bundled into a small companion.

"Hinata-hime," a small, delicate voice sounded from the window as a Chara floated towards the Hyuuga.

"W-What is it, Juken-chan?" asked Hinata in a braver voice than usual. Her Chara gave her strength, as she was supposed to, and she never felt surer of herself than when Juken was nearby.

Juken looked very much like Hinata, with the same short hair and fringe – though hers was bright green – and the same pale complexion and facial features. Their differences, however, were marked in the eyes – Hinata's pair pearly while Juken's were black as night. The Chara also had a very similar style than Hinata, wearing an extremely formal, light pink kimono with ornaments in her hair and her fringe pulled back to reveal two lines, hooked at the end in the middle of her forehead, with a manji between them, all in green.

This little Chara was Hinata's desire to not only be courageous and heard, but also to be graceful rather than fumble her steps out her nervousness, and strong and brave in the face of danger. Juken was born out of her desire to protect her little sister, Hanabi, and speak out against her father for pushing the little girl too hard in her studies and martial arts training. After a few Chara-Changes, her father had eased up on Hanabi and Hinata discovered a desire to be able to protect everyone that was unable to do it themselves.

"I have seen Ino-san approaching the house," she stated calmly. "Would you like me to retire until she has left?"

"If you w-want," Hinata allowed, smiling. "I c-can't talk to you, but y-you're always w-welcome to s-stay."

"Thank you, Hinata-hime," bowed Juken with a small, polite smile, "but I do believe I will return to your room and take a small rest, if that is permitted?"

"O-Of course," nodded Hinata.

"I will return later, Hinata-hime," the Chara bowed. Watching her little companion float away towards her room, Hinata sighed, waiting for Ino to arrive in the sitting room so that they would begin their usual after-school activity.

It was usually quite a mundane event – they would go round one of their houses, have a snack, do their homework, talk for a while, and then the guest would return home. The same thing, always, with Hinata helping Ino out with maths, geography and English Language, and Ino aiding Hinata in art and history, and both laughing together as they completed their other subject without much struggling or the need for assistance. So today, when a tear-stained blonde walked through the door, Hinata was put in an instant panic.

"I-Ino-chan, are you alright?" asked Hinata, worried. Ino looked confused for a moment before she giggled, placing a hand to her cheek.

"I guess I kinda look a mess, huh?" she mused. "I just had a tearful reunion is all, Hinata-chan."

"R-Reunion?" the Hyuuga echoed.

"Get in here, forehead!" bellowed the blonde and, not a second later, a very familiar pinkette stood in the doorway.

"S-Sakura-chan!" squeaked the bluette in surprise – her reaction being one of the least over-the-top to date.

"You two catch up, while I _clean up_," Ino wink, laughing at her own word-play as she walked towards the bathroom. Sakura stepped forwards and took a seat beside Hinata, smiling cautiously, as though she were expecting to be thrown out.

"It's g-good to see y-you again, Sakura-chan," Hinata welcomed her, hugging her old friend.

"You too, Hinata-chan," smiled the Haruno as they let go of each other. "How have you been?"

"W-Well," she nodded, a secretive smile forming on her face at the thought of Juken. When she looked back up, her eyes widened. "Is that a...?"

"She can see me," Mitsu breathed happily, lowering her head to bow a greeting to Hinata.

"You have a Chara, Hinata-chan?" asked Sakura excitedly, grinning. Hinata, snapping out of her shock, nodded.

"H-Her name is J-Juken," she explained. "I can go and g-get her if...?" she trailed off, still eyeing Mitsu. "S-Sorry, but she n-not what I w-would have pictured for y-you, is all," Hinata stated, looking at the eerily calm Mitsu and then recalling how Sakura used to be very similar. "I would have t-though more...l-lively and w-warm."

"Mitsu is warm," Sakura said fondly, "and extremely loving – she's just a bit of a diva. Katsumi is the lively one, and Setsuko is very mature. I think Mari more brave than abrasive, but not many people would agree," she giggled before noticing Hinata's eyes widening again.

"F-Four?" she squeaked. Sakura nodded slowly.

"Four," she confirmed. "The others are sleeping at home right now, but Mitsu wanted to tag along."

"And now I'm glad I did," the gold Chara grinned, instantly dropping her calm facade and darting upwards. "Scanners to maximum – find that Chara!" she announced, going to float away and in the direction of where she sensed the Shugo Chara.

"Hinata-hime, I sense another Chara in the house," a small voice stated before Mitsu could leave. Sakura's Chara's eyes brightened as she floated towards the female Chara.

"You're adorable!" she squealed, "You and I will be the best of friends."

As it turned out, they weren't.

Juken decided early on that Mitsu was far too childish, and her patience was quickly worn thin, while Mitsu concluded that Juken was too cold and withdrawn most of the time to bother with. Hinata and Sakura, however, found a new bond, over their shared experiences with Charas, which neither had thought possible with the other before. Sakura would always be closer with Ino, and Hinata would most likely always prefer the company of Shino, or Tenten for female companionship, but now the girls had another girl their own age to turn to about Charas and they wouldn't let that go.

On her way home, Sakura decided that it had been a productive day.

She had gotten many answers about Charas from someone older and wiser in the matter – Uchiha Madara – and discovered that two more of her friends had Charas now – Naruto and Hinata – and so it was definitely worth the time it took to find them all. She had also gotten the heartfelt reunion with Ino that she didn't even realise how much she had wanted, and had been given a chance to both better with Mitsu.

Now, though, she was ready to go home.

Or, so she thought.

"Gaara missed you, y'know."

{-}

Nikaido Yuu was a great many things.

Wonderful teacher, caring friend, compassionate boyfriend, extremely smart, devastatingly handsome, and oh-so-modest to boot; yet, even with all these outstanding qualities and absolutely no faults – besides a minor lust for power and a little narcissism left over from his Easter days – he was unable to track down his most prized student. When Sakura hadn't reported for school one day – and he had checked, as he always did, to see if she had put in that request for a different teacher yet – he found that she had been taken off the school register.

Further investigation showed that she had moved away, also.

It angered him, to start with, that this had happened under his nose when he was usually so attentive about all Guardians and Shugo Chara bearers around him. He had hoped to protect them, so that they never went through the same pain of losing their Chara as he did, and Sakura was one of the more troubled ones. So, to have her up and leave was worrying, even if it _was_ with her new blonde and busty guardian that was in no way ready to care for his favourite student.

He pondered adopting her in that moment.

Grading all the tests he had before him with failing grades – just to vent, he had no real time for his idiots – he sighed.

He should have kidnapped her for good.

{-}

She supposed that Kankuro was someone she had been hoping to see, since Itachi had told her that he had a Chara, but his statement brought on a whole new level of guilt that she hadn't felt until now. With those few words, even the joy of seeing Ino again was squashed under how bad she felt.

Gaara hadn't known.

When Sakura left Gakure, Gaara had been away visiting his uncle. She hadn't called him or anything to tell him she was going, and she supposed that he had only been told when he came back. She felt awful for not telling him, but she felt worse for not talking to him afterwards.

"I didn't mean to do it, Kankuro," she sighed without turning around.

"I know," he nodded. "Itachi-san told me you had a Chara now. That her?" he asked, gesturing to Mitsu. Sakura smiled, turning around.

"He didn't tell you that I had more than one?" she mused. "When he last saw me I had three – Mitsu is my forth," she told him, pointing to the gold Chara when she said her name.

"Impressive," he nodded slowly. "Karasu is my one and only – he's an awesome little dude, so he's really all I need," he added, nodding his chin at the Chara at his side.

Karasu had very dark skin and shoulder-length, spiky brown hair. His eyes were round and dark, and he appeared to have a third on his forehead, though this one may have been a marking rather than an actual eye. He wore a black cloak, closed in the front so Sakura couldn't see the clothes he had on underneath, with black boots and gloves to match. When he grinned, his teeth were sharpened to a point, giving him a more frightening look. However, Karasu was still male, and therefore Mitsu went to work.

"Hello there, handsome," she cooed at him, giggling when Karasu turned instantly red.

"Have you seen Nagato yet?" asked Kankuro with a smirk. "He's got a Chara that'll really make you want to punch the little guy; thinks of himself as some kinda God."

"Itachi-nii did mention that," the pinkette mused. "He also said that Sasori-nii had a Chara?"

"He does," Kankuro confirmed, "named Hiruko, and he's real violent. Karasu a lot more easy-going than those guys," he boasted.

"Did you know Hinata-chan and Naruto have Chara?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in a challenge. Kankuro smirked.

"Hyuuga, yes; Naruto, no," he admitted. "I help Hyuuga out a bit when Juken was first hatched, but Naruto's must be pretty new."

"Kyuubi's a little over a week now," Sakura confirmed, "and he said that Naruto tried to hide him because he thought he was going crazy and seeing mini-ghosts."

"Typical," snorted the brunette. "It was good to see you, Sakura," he said in an obvious goodbye. "You need to come see Gaara and Temari-nee-san before they go crazy and hunt you down."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sakura laughed, waving to Kankuro as she continued on her way, though her course was now slightly altered.

She had to see Nagato and check if his Chara was anything like Kiseki.

{-}

Kiseki ruled his kingdom with an iron fist, even if his subjects didn't think so.

He was lenient, but only when it suited him. He accepted that sometimes they wanted to do other things, so long as it benefitted him. He knew how dim-witted some of his subjects were, so he accepted that he had to turn many of his more serious missions into games.

What he could not accept was that four of his subject had committed treason by way of desertion in the middle of their most serious hunt for the embryo. Mari he could understand – she was far too rash and impulsive. Katsumi he could forgive – she was a little absent-minded about these things. Mitsu he couldn't punish – she would somehow hypnotise him if he tried. Setsuko, however, was level-headed, intelligent and, above all, responsible – he didn't understand how she could just leave.

It was as though he was a tyrant, nor was he overly pushy or demanded – to her, at least. She was the one he was most soft on, because she was too valuable to lose due to an argument between them. So it hit him hard when he realised that the sisters were gone. He had counted them as his loyal counsel, due to them being the Charas of someone as refined and lady-like as Sakura, and Setsuko had been the embodiment of a mature member of his war-counsel; she was his strategist.

He had planned to bring them back, and to do it soon.

Unfortunately, no one was able to make a plan that went beyond flying around the school until they were tired and then taking a nap.

{-}

_Knock-Knock-Knock_

Nagato wondered who could be at his door at this time in the evening. It wasn't overly late, but he wasn't expecting company and his parents had both told him they wouldn't be back until much later, and they both had their keys. So, with a quizzical mind, he opened his door. He didn't expect the small, pink-haired girl that used to make him onigiri standing there was a smaller, black-haired Chara with curiously bright gold eyes.

"Sakura-san," he acknowledged, "This is certainly an unexpected, though pleasant surprise. Please, come in," he invited, stepping aside to allow the girl into his home. She looked around as though trying to find something and he glanced at her Chara again, nodding to himself. "Pein is in the living room, if you wanted to meet him."

"How –?" she began, but he held up a hand.

"You were looking for something, and you have a Shugo Chara," he stated as though his conclusion were obvious. "I am no fool. Please, follow me," he bid, leading her to the front room, where his Chara was sitting in a small throne atop a tall bookcase.

Pein was definitely regal looking, though also a little rough with three piercing going up his nose, two in his lower lip and at least six hoop in each ear. He had short, spiky orange hair and wore a black cloak with red cloud covering it that had a tall neck and opened only at the waist, showing blue trousers tucked into black boots. His eyes were gray and ringed and his face was set in a blank but haughty expression.

"More mortals to worship me?" he asked loudly. Sakura raised an eyebrow and Nagato sighed.

"Sasori, Deidara and Itachi were here earlier," he explained and Sakura nodded slightly.

"Does Deidara-sempai have a Shugo Chara?" she asked curiously, but Nagato shook his head.

"No, but Pein takes great joy in bossing around Kisame and Hiruko," he sighed, glancing at the embodiment of his hopes and dreams. "I'll never know how his behaviour reflects who I want to be, but I suppose he does command respect like I want to," he mused quietly.

"If his hobby is bossing people around," Sakura smirked, "then this will be a very interesting meeting." She watched as Mitsu floated up towards Pein, her arms folded and her eyebrow quirked in an unimpressed way.

"Are you here to bow down to me?" asked Pein, though he seemed bored by her already.

"How about _you_ bow down to _me_, m'kay?" suggested Mitsu with a perky grin on her face. Anger flashed in Pein's eyes for a second, but then it was gone.

"How dare you, mortal," he growled at her. "I am your superior in both wisdom and age, and yet you tell me to bow to you?"

"Yep," she confirmed happily, "because I am your superior in looks and personality."

"Insolent," he scoffed.

"Boring," she shot right back.

"Well, this is new," hummed Nagato as he watched Pein become more and more frustrated every time Mitsu opened her mouth.

{-}

"...and in here we have a smaller bedroom," the estate agent stated, showing an expecting couple around the apartment, "for any little ones," she smiled at the pregnant young wife, who blushed cutely.

"What's this?" the man asked, moving away from his wife and picking up what appeared to be a slightly large, decorative egg. The estate agent stepped forwards and frowned in thought.

"It must have belonged to the previous tenant," she explained, taking the egg from him and carelessly placing it in the pocket of her blazer. "I'll be sure it is returned to them swiftly. Shall we continue the tour?"


	10. Three Months Along

Chapter Ten

It had been three months since Sakura had come back to Gakure. In that time she went to school, reunited with several old friends, made many new friends, rekindled old rivalries and almost found herself going back to the way things were, as though she had never even left to begin with. Her Shugo Charas, too, had weaved their way into Gakure very smoothly, each breaking away from her sisters and finding their own friends.

Katsumi had become surprisingly well acquainted with Kyuubi, and took great joys in counselling him on how to be the best Chara he could be – despite most of her advice being common sense. Kyuubi himself found her amusing, and the two would come up with pranks to play on the other Charas, with Naruto only adding fuel to the fire. Of course, Katsumi would still complain about a severe lack of Neko Charas, but Kyuubi was always quick to change the subject and get her mind off Yoru.

While the Katsumi-Kyuubi alliance was somewhat expected, Setsuko had formed a shockingly strong bond with Kimimaro, Zaku's Shugo Chara, and would often be seen with him when she wasn't with her sisters. No one really knew what they talked about, only that both were very defensive of their time spent together and would never speak about their conversation with the other with anyone else, even their owners. Of course, Setsuko's friendship with Kimimaro often meant that Sakura was hanging around with Zaku more and more, which her friends weren't too keen on.

Mari had entered into the least obvious friendship, however, by creating a role model out of Hinata's Chara, Juken. She said that she was the perfect example of strength and power mixed with subtle barbs and a regal air that exuded superiority. She knew when to simply glower and when to strike with fists. As such, Mari would merely tag along with her, hanging on her every word and watching her every action in awe. Juken was amused by her antics, but thankfully did not take advantage of her new admirer.

Now Mitsu, as per her nature, had made slaves of Tobi and Karasu almost instantly after meeting them and, though Hiruko – Sasori's Chara – put up a fight, he too ultimately succumbed. It was Pein that she had the most trouble with, as he believed himself to be the God of all Charas and, as such, would not bow to her whims as she was used to. At first, this created huffy fits and tantrums, but after a while she grew to respect him, and he accepted her prowess in getting those of weaker wills under her thumb.

Sakura seemed to have fallen back into the flow of things; hanging out with Naruto and Sasuke, sleepovers with Ino and Hinata, shopping trips with Temari, going to the gym with Tenten, interesting conversation with Neji, and shockingly Zaku. It all seemed to be going rather well, in fact, and she had even created new friendships with those who had moved to Gakure in her absence, like Naruto's new friends Temujin and Menma, though both were rather quiet and kept mostly to themselves.

However, no matter how far she fell into 'normalcy', she always felt that something was missing. Every sound outside her window, every time the house creaked, when the door opened, or when the wind blew through her curtains, she would look up suddenly and expect to see a tall, lithe teenage with messy blue hair. She never saw him, though, and with every passing day Sakura was more and more worried that he had simply forgotten about her.

She knew it was selfish to expect Ikuto to drop everything and travel to Gakure, take her in his arms and carry her off somewhere so the two of them would never be apart again, but she didn't care. It was _her_ heart that was breaking, and she would be damned if she ignored it in favour of forgetting her past. She had to move on, but no one said it had to be quickly. She would take months – years – lifetimes if she needed, and yet she would still probably hold vague memories of the cat-like teen who had first stolen her heart.

She had slowly reunited with all of her old friends. Strangely, the hardest to reconnect with was Gaara, though she probably should have expected that after the way she left things with him. What she didn't expect was his reaction to seeing her again. Gaara had gone to 'hunt her down' after his older brother had told him she was back, but when he saw her he seemed to be at a loss for words.

}-{

"_Hello, Gaara," Sakura greeted quietly, afraid that he would be angry or hate her after her wordless departure. He was silent, just staring at her as though he couldn't believe she was really there._

"_You're back," he said at last, though his voice was quiet enough for Sakura to doubt he had said anything at all. She gulped, unsure how to proceed, before she nodded._

"_I'm back," she confirmed, rubbing her arms in discomfort. He nodded once, thoughtful, and sighed, looking away from her. A frown appeared on his face and he seemed to be in pain for a moment before he turned back to her._

_Gaara stepped closer to Sakura, just standing in her personal space. He wasn't overly tall, so he was only a little bit taller than her, but he still had to look down to meet her eyes. She could feel his breath on her forehead, and was sure he could feel hers on his neck, which just made the situation a little more awkward than it already was. They were both quiet, just standing there in the uncomfortable silence, until Gaara looked away and stepped back._

"_You haven't changed much," he decided and Sakura frowned, feeling slightly offended._

"_I think I have," she argued. "I'm...calmer."_

"_Not really," he smirked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. Sakura scowled._

"_I'm taller," she added._

"_Me too," he retorted, "so I hadn't really noticed."_

"_Why, you," she growled. "I –"_

"_Sakura, don't," he interrupted, his face blank again as he cupped her cheek, and rubbed his thumb just under her eye. "It's your eyes," Gaara told her softly, drawing away again, "You're eyes haven't changed much."_

"_I..." she trailed off, looking away from him this time. Sakura had no idea what to say to something like that. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely above a whisper as tears collected in her eyes. Gaara's face twitched with a small smile and he pulled her into a loose hug._

"_I know," he whispered back, into her hair, before releasing her. Their eyes met for a brief moment and then he turned and walked away._

}-{

Sakura hadn't spoken to Gaara since that incident, and knew she would have to give him more time. He had been hurt a lot as a child, made to feel like his mother's death was his fault, and ignored by his father. His betray by his uncle had stung him especially hard, since the man had acted like his closest friend for years before the young redhead overheard his uncle's scorn of him. He'd felt heartbroken, and so she knew that leaving without telling him had made him feel abandoned, so she wouldn't push him.

"Saku-chan," Mitsu called to get her attention, "can we go and visit Nagato-san, please? I need to talk to Pein-kun."

"No way!" yelled Mari, "You said we could visit Hinata-san so I could see Juken-sempai!"

"Umm, excuse me," Katsumi cut in with a scoff, "We're _going_ to see Naruto so _I_ can see _Kyuubi-chan_!"

"You know, I do not think he appreciates you calling him that," Setsuko said calmly, raising an eyebrow at her older sister, "and, besides, it is time to visit with Zaku-san, and therefore time for me to see Kimimaro-san."

"Oh, please!" growled Mitsu, irritated every time the subject of Kimimaro was brought up, "That emotionless idiot won't miss you for one day while we visit Pein-kun."

"And I'm sure Pein would like an afternoon free of you while we all go to see Kyuubi-chan – which he _loves_ being call," Katsumi snapped back.

"We're going to see _Juken-sempai_," stressed Mari while folding her arms.

"Actually, I wanted to visit Neji," Sakura interrupted before the girls could get too out-of-hand. All four of them visibly deflated – Neji didn't have a Chara, and so they were bored whenever Sakura went to see him, "but I wouldn't mind if you four wanted to go and see your friends, so long as you're back home by dinner."

"Thanks, Saku-chan!" cheered Mari, shooting out of the window towards Hinata's house.

"Thank you so much!" squealed Mitsu as she followed her sister out the window before turning the other way, to Nagato's home.

"I hope you have fun with Neji-san," Setsuko bowed, a wide smile on her face as she left to find Zaku and Kimimaro.

"What they said!" giggled Katsumi, the last to go but the quickest to disappear out of sight. Sakura sighed, alone in her room, and put her head in her hands.

"I wonder if Amu has this much trouble."

{-}

Mitsu flew beside Setsuko, as they were both going in the same direction, when a thought came to her. She had never really spent any time with her sisters, and while she had previously giggles over man-slaves with Katsumi, usually agreed with Setsuko in most situations, and boasted her power with Mari, she rarely actually hung out with them. Most of their time would be spent vying for Sakura's attention, or splitting off to hang out with other Charas – never the same Chara as their sisters, however.

"Setsuko-nee," she said quietly, stopping mid-air. The blue Chara, surprised to hear Mitsu calling her 'sister', stopped also to listen – it was just accepted that they were the siblings of their owner's other Charas, but no one really took it any further than the common knowledge.

"What is it, Mitsu?" she asked, tilting her head delicately. Mitsu was frowning, looking down, and Setsuko grew worried, floating closer. "Are you alright?"

"We're sisters, right?" she asked quietly, looking up. Blue met gold and Setsuko smiled softly.

"We are," she nodded. This just caused Mitsu to frown. "Why do you ask?"

"We never seem to talk – any of us," she muttered, rubbing her arm. "When I see human sisters, they talk and hang out and get along, but we don't do any of that stuff."

"We are not like human sisters, Mitsu," Setsuko soothed. "We are Charas, each born of a different desire with a completely different personality. Were we humans, Katsumi and Mari would never so much as blink in each other's direction, let along speak to one another. It is not possible for us to be the best of friends, because there is nothing we have in common besides being Saku-chan's Shugo Charas. We are sisters because we look after each other and do not allow each other to become upset or feel left out – we are closer than human sisters could dream, because we all understand each other on a deeper level than humanly possible, but we will most likely never find common ground."

"That's why we always split up?" the youngest Chara asked, feeling a little less confused.

"It is," nodded Setsuko, hugging her sister, "but the fact that we have nothing in common and are rarely around one another does not mean we love each other any less than blood-related sisters. We all love you, Imouto," she said softly, and this seemed to be just what Mitsu needed to hear, because the young Chara brightened instantly.

"Thanks, Setsuko," she beamed. "I'm gonna go find Pein-chan – have fun with Kimi-chan!" she bid, floating away. Setsuko shook her head with a bemused smile before flying towards where she knew Kimimaro would be.

{-}

Mari couldn't wait to get to Hinata's house and hang out with Juken. The two had really hit it off, and quickly, too. She supposed it was odd for her to get along with someone so quickly – it usually took a few days for her to get over her initial mistrust and hostility. Even after three months of building her friendship with Juken, she still remembered that it originally only took one meeting for Mari to like the older Chara.

Mitsu thought it was because Juken had green hair and Mari was the green Chara, but the older girl pushed that opinion aside. She supposed the real reason was because Juken was so much like herself, which she liked, but also a lot like Setsuko. Her older sister was someone she really looked up to and, while she didn't want to be _just like Setsuko_, she also knew that Setsuko was who she looked to when she was troubled.

She knew it should have been Katsumi, as the red Chara was the oldest, but nothing could change the fact that Setsuko was the most mature one out of them all, and therefore the one every Chara turned to when they needed a level-headed opinion. Strangely, despite her manipulative tenancies, it was Mitsu people went to when they just needed to feel loved – though, as Mitsu was the Chara embodiment of warmth and love, this should have been expected.

People went to Katsumi when they wanted to just have fun – when they wanted to be around someone cheerful and happy. Pausing, Mari realised that she was possibly the only one of Sakura's Charas that didn't have a purpose outside of her owner. Katsumi cheered people up, Setsuko offered guidance, and Mitsu was the most comforting Chara she knew; all Mari did was scowl and threaten to punch them.

Shaking her head, the green Chara realised that she had reached her destination, though she wasn't as excited as she had been a moment ago. With a small sigh, Mari put on a happy face and flew through the open window to visit Juken.

{-}

The conversation with the youngest of their Chara quartet had been playing back and forth in Setsuko's mind, and she knew that Kimimaro had noticed. While usually they were never short of conversation, he seemed to know that today she needed to sit in comfortable, contemplative silence. Setsuko was thankful for this silence, but also knew that she shouldn't merely sit there and stew in her sister's words, wasting her time with her new friend.

"So, Kimimaro," she began, gaining his attention quickly, "back to our previous topic of discussion. How do you like the other Charas around here?"

"Well," he considered, recalling every Chara he had met, "I believe Juken and Hiruko are tolerable, while the rest are rather noisy."

"Indeed," Setsuko nodded, "though I do find Kyuubi-san rather charming, in his own way," she smiled. Kimimaro raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"He reminds you of this 'Yoru' you're friend with, correct?" he guessed, and by her flushed cheeks he knew he was right. It was slightly painful to know his first true Chara friend had someone else on her mind, but at the same time he could understand that she was missing her old friend. If Setsuko were to leave, he knew he would miss her terribly.

"I suppose it's because of his care-free, charismatic nature," she agreed, thinking about the cat Chara. "He and Yoru would have probably hated each other, though."

"Yes," Kimimaro smirked. "Two people that similar in one room; they would drive each other insane."

"Undoubtedly," she smirked back, an evil gleam in her eye. Gulping, as this was only one of a handful of times Kimimaro had witnessed Setsuko's evil side, he was quick to change the subject.

{-}

"Oh, Kyuubi-chan!" sang Katsumi when she arrived at Naruto's house, knocking on her friend's egg to wake him up. There was no reply, so she opened the egg, pouting when she found it empty. She pulled back, humming in thought as she tapped her chin, looking around Naruto's empty room as a near-feral grin swept across her features.

This would not be good for the blonde and his Chara.

Closing her eyes, Katsumi focused on locating her wild-haired friend. She quickly found that he was not in the house and pouted, her nose wrinkling as she realised that she would actually have to fly around looking for him, unless she wanted to find Sakura and spend her time alone, listened to her and Neji talk about boring, complicated things that she wasn't interested in.

With her mind made up, Katsumi flew back out of the window, hoping to find Kyuubi quickly. What she didn't expect, however, was to spot Shikamaru – another of Sakura's close friends – on the street, hissing as something beside him. When she floated closer, her eyes widened.

"He has a Shugo Chara?"

{-}

"And so I told him that I wouldn't put up with simple-minded monarchy games, and he totally caved!" giggled Mitsu, sitting beside Pein. He was still sitting in his black throne, but had Nagato purchase a red one for Mitsu to sit in during her visits. As she had enslaved all of his worshipers, it seemed only right that the God allowed her to become his Angel.

"This 'Kiseki' seems a fool to have challenged you," he announced matter-of-factly. "If he were here, I would have him bow down to _me_. Such an ignorant mortal to believe his claim as 'King' would have any bearing over a God and his Angel."

"W-Well, that's not really fair," Mitsu frowned, jumping to defend her friend from the unneeded criticism. "He's a King Chara, so it's only natural for him to behave like a King. His owner's dream is world domination, anyway, so..."

"Regardless," Pein waved off. "Such a dream is a senseless endeavour. You can never claim the world from a God, so why would this idiotic mortal even consider –"

"Stop picking on him!" she yelled angrily. Pein raised an eyebrow.

"You were just doing the same," he observed.

"I'm _allowed_ to," she said, rolling her eyes, "he's _my_ slave. You've never even met him!"

"You are protective over your old friends," Pein noted with a small smile. Not seeing his expression, Mitsu sighed, looking down.

"I miss them," she admitted quietly.

"Pein!" called Nagato, "Hiruko and Kisame are here."

"Commanding your new slaves should cheer you up," Pein pointed out and Mitsu perked up.

"Oh no, not her!" groaned Kisame before he sighed, defeated. "I'll get the tea."

{-}

"You truly believe that you have no purpose?" Juken enquired calmly. Mari nodded, a downtrodden expression covering her face. Smiling slightly, the green-haired Chara placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "What makes you believe this is true?"

"Well," Mari began, "all I seem to do is threaten people."

"Why?" asked Juken. Mari started, blinking at the sudden question.

"I guess it's because they're being mean to someone," she explained.

"I see. What else makes you think you're purposeless?"

"I fight people all the time."

"Why?"

"They're picking on someone else."

"That makes sense. Continue."

"I'm always getting into trouble."

"How?" Juken asked quickly.

"Usually, getting someone else _out_ of it," Mari sighed.

"So, what you're saying is, you're pointless because all you do is protect the innocent, defend the weak, and save the careless?" mused Juken. "I don't know if it's just me, but that doesn't seem pointless at all."

"Well, when you put it like that," Mari smiled, feeling a lot better about herself now. Katsumi was the fun one, Setsuko was the mature one, Mitsu was the loving one, and she was the strong one – the protector.

"Everyone has a purpose, Mari," Juken pointed out calmly. "Sometimes it's harder to see, and sometimes someone cannot see their own shining qualities, but everyone is worth something, and _everyone_ had a reason to be. For us Charas; we make it easier for our owners to know who they want to be, but we mustn't forget that who they _want_ to be is who we already _are_. You're Sakura wants to help and protect people – _you_ already do."

"Thanks, Juken," Mari beamed, hugging her friend.

{-}

Shikamaru scowled at the floating, big-headed figment of his imagination as it hovered in front of him. He had the same brown hair as Shikamaru, but messier, with spiked bangs and a smaller ponytail. His eyes were wide, blue, and full of a natural wonder that Shikamaru often wished he could have with the world. The little thing was wearing what looked like baggy pyjamas, with a light green-grey, long-sleeved top that had a circle with a line through it on it in a darker colour, nearly matching the baggy bottoms.

"So, you're supposed to be my would-be self?" he asked, trying to understand this situation. Even with his genius IQ, however, it seemed near impossible to compared birthing an egg with a mini-person inside.

"Exactly," the little thing nodded. "I'm a Shugo Chara. My name is Cloud, and I'm your wish to be focused and interested in the world around you. You're smart, but bored, so I was born out of your wish for wonderment."

"This can't be happening," the genius groaned. "You can't be real!" he yelled and Cloud flinched at the harsh tone, feeling his presence waver as his owner rejected him.

"Hey!" a new voice sounded as yet another mini-person flew towards him, this one a dark-haired girl in red clothes. "You can't deny his existence, or he'll disappear!" she squeaked.

"Good," the brunette said, "then maybe I'll get my sanity back."

"You're not insane," Cloud told him sadly, "We're real!"

"So, you're mine, too?" asked Shikamaru, eyeing the girl doubtfully. She giggled behind her hand and shook her head.

"No way!" she denied, "I belong to someone else – there's loads of us!"

"Perfect," he sighed heavily. The girl seemed to pause, thinking – which he doubted was a common pass-time for her – until she perked up, floating over to Cloud. His 'Chara' nodded and smiled.

"We'll wait here," he promised.

"Okay! Be back soon!" she said happily before floating off. Shikamaru watched her go and groaned as he began walking away, but Cloud grabbed the back of his shirt.

"We have to wait here until Katsumi gets back!" he yelled. Scowling at the air around him, Shikamaru sighed heavily and stood still, eyeing Cloud contemplatively.

"You're real, huh?" he murmured and Cloud perked up, his eyes lighting up instantly.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Do you finally believe in me?" he asked, feeling a lot more solid than before.

"I guess I have to believe what's in front of my eyes, right?" considered Shikamaru with a hum. "There's a lot more of you?"

"I dunno," shrugged Cloud, "I was only born a few hours ago. Until Katsumi flew over I didn't even know if there were more here, but I guess they have to be all over the world."

"It's strange," Shikamaru noted. "If there's so many of you, how come I've never seen any before?"

"They can only be seen by others with Shugo Charas," a familiar voice spoke up suddenly and Shikamaru turned.

"Naruto?" asked Shikamaru, highly confused.

{-}

Katsumi felt very proud of herself in that moment as she made her way back to Sakura. She had found a newly born Shugo Chara and helped stop his owner from criticising him out of existence. Not only that, but she had passed the mantle of teacher over to Kyuubi – her eyes clouded with tears just thinking about how quickly the student had become the master. She was so proud when she had left Kyuubi to teach Cloud.

After leaving Shikamaru and Cloud, she had darted off to find Naruto and Kyuubi, knowing they would be able to teach the new pair all they would need to know. She would have gone to find Sakura, but she knew it would have been hard to explain to Neji why she had to suddenly leave. Katsumi smiled as she realised that new Charas were being born every day. It was only a matter of time until all Heart's Eggs in the world were either born or realised.

Sighing happily, she floated off to find Sakura.

{-}

On the desk of a nameless estate agent sat a dark grey egg. It was tartan patterned, with a solid light grey stripe running around the centre. On this stripe sat a triskele with a gold centre and red, blue and green spirals. Due to the odd design, the woman who had found it believed it to be some kind of decorative Easter egg and was in the process of contacting the previous owner of the place it was found, but there was no reply.

After looking it up online – and finding nothing but a link to an old children's story called _The Heart's Egg_ – she decided to leave it a while and see if the previous owner called to enquire about it. If not, following protocol, she would put it into storage after two week, and then after three months it would simply be given to the nearest charity shop. It would be a shame to see such a pretty thing go, but she wasn't allowed to keep it for herself.

Luckily, this protocol would not need to be followed through with, as this particular egg wasn't going to be around much longer. A large crack formed around the middle of the egg before the upper-half lifted. A pair of dark grey eyes peeked out, glancing around this new environment, before blinking twice and disappearing behind the closing egg. Securely closed once again, the egg swayed on the desk and bounced three times, out of the window.

{-}

Walking home, a tired figure spotted what was obviously the egg of a Shugo Chara bouncing down the street. Eyes widening as the person recognised the design of the egg as very similar to Hinamori Amu and Haruno Sakura's eggs, they darted forwards towards it. Knowing that Amu have all four of her eggs, the person realised that it had to belong to Sakura.

Sensing another like itself, the Chara stopped and floated up in the air, the egg opening again as the same grey eyes glanced out to find who was nearby. She found the person she was sensing and blinked again, closing her egg as she bounced towards the person.

Picking up the egg, the person sighed.

"I've got you now," they whispered, "and I'll keep you safe until we can get you back to your owner. I promise."

{-}

It had been a fun day for Sakura, hanging out with Neji and being able to focus completely on him without worrying about ignoring her Charas. From time-to-time, she would wonder about them – if they had found their friend, if they were okay, etc. – but knew that she would feel if they were in any kind of real trouble, much like all times before. She opened the door to her house and walked in, catching Tsunade's eye the moment she moved into the hall.

"Hi," she smiled, but the blonde looked guilty. "What's wrong?"

"Just..." Tsunade began, but trailed off. "You'll know soon enough," she stated, grabbing her coat and leaving the house. Frowning, but brushing off the confusion, Sakura moved upstairs.

When Sakura got to her room, she found a stack of enveloped on her bed with a small note on top. Slowly walking to it, she picked up the note and read it, though it only increased her confusion.

_I'm sorry_

Frowning, Sakura picked up the envelopes, one unseal but the rest intact, all holding her name. Taking the unsealed one first, she pulled out the letter and read.


	11. Letters From Home

Chapter Eleven

_Sakura,_

_I'll bet you're wondering how I got your address. Well, I didn't. Your old building manager wouldn't give me a forwarding address, the old goat, but I'm a lot smarter than he is. I'm just addressing these to your old apartment and he's forwarding them along for me. I'm pretty clever, huh? I'll bet you're __so__ proud of me right now._

_This place seems so quiet without you here. Sure, time still goes on and the battles continue to be fought, but it lacks something. It lacks a creepy little stalker girl. You used to blush so hard when I called you that, because deep down it was true – you may not have been a stalker, but you could somehow always find me. That's a skill that the higher ups at Easter would've killed for, so I'm glad they never found out about that one, too._

_Nothing scared me more than when you joined Easter. From the moment I met you, I could sense the power you held. Before I knew you, I feared Easter getting you because of the strength that would give them. After, I was just afraid that you would lose yourself, and you did. I should have protected you, always. I should have been there, even when you pushed me away. After all, when have I ever listened to you?_

_I'm going to change the subject before this letter gets too soppy and just ask; why did you change your number? You could have saved yourself all the letters I'm going to send you, just by picking up your phone once. Oh well, you made your choice, now the souls of all these trees are on your head. In fact, I'm going to write whole novel, burn it, re-write and mass-copy it, just to show you how much paper you waste by not picking up your phone._

_Okay, I'm not writing a novel. Not that I couldn't; you'd be the damsel in distress, I'd be the charming prince, and that idiot Kukai can be the dragon, or something. Urgh, like I could ever be the 'charming prince'-type, but you knew that fact about me from the start and it never stopped you. Stopped you from what? I don't know. Stopped you from being with me, I guess. Just sitting with me, and playing along when I 'kidnap' you._

_I still resent you calling that kidnapping. You had fun, every time, and if you really want me to kidnap you, I'll get a train to Gakure and bring you back, how about that? No, I won't – I promise. I may want you back, more than you can think, but I won't do that. It would be cruel. You may think you want to come back, but give it time; you'll come to realise that you don't miss being caught up in battles that are not your own, and fights that are started for selfish reasons._

_I'm sorry for writing to you. I know it must be painful for you, so soon after you left. All I hope is that you can one day forget everyone here. Please, forget me._

_Ikuto_

{-}

_Dear Sakura,_

_I got your forwarding address from your old landlord. I hope that's okay. You're really missed here, by all of us, but I hope your old town is helping you get your life back to normal. Why did you change your number, anyway? I tried calling you a few times, but it said the number was disconnected. I miss talking to you, Sakura._

_Daichi misses you and the girls, too – Mari more than the others, but don't tell them he had favourites! He likes everyone, I guess; they just have more in common, like you and me. I have a soccer game coming up soon – wish me luck! With you thinking of me, I can do anything!_

_I know this is short, but I'm no good at letters. Sorry! Hey, write me your number and then we can talk for real! I'll tell you all about the game._

_Write back soon!_

_From,_

_Kukai_

{-}

_Dear Sakura,_

_I heard you moved away, back to your old home in Gakure. It's quite close to where I am currently living, so I was hoping that we could catch up. I am still not ready for you to accept my love for you – I have much growing to do before I am a man worthy of your love. I am trying every day, though, and I hope to soon be a choice you consider._

_I tried to call you, but you must have changed your number. Nonetheless, I will not give up my pursuit of you. I realised when you moved that I may have gained more rivals for your attentions, but I refuse to be beaten! I can promise you that!_

_Hoping to hear from you soon,_

_Kairi_

_p.s. Musashi wishes to tell Setsuko that he hopes she is doing well and her sisters are fine._

{-}

_Darling Sakura-chan,_

_I miss my favourite student! Everyone here is an idiot and I can't take their stupidity much longer. I thought it was bad when they didn't put you in my class, but this is much, much, much worse! Now I don't even get to see you around school, and that just means that I'm even more aware that I'm surrounded by idiots!_

_Come back and join my class, or I'll kidnap you again!_

_From your favourite sensei ever!_

_Nikaido Yuu_

{-}

_To Sakura,_

_I know I apologised for the last one, but I couldn't help myself. I keep picturing you reading that letter over and over in the future, wondering just who in the world I am. You'll be going through your old things ten years from now, wondering who this guy that sent you one letter and then never got in touch again was. No, it's selfish of me, but I want to be in your memory, forever._

_I want you to remember our first date – even though you didn't know it was a date. I want you to think back and remember your smile when you ate your favourite dango, the laughs we shared when I was walking you home and your reaction when you found out it was a date. Tadase and Kukai may have messed it up a bit by interrupting, but it was still so much fun, because I was there with you. I know I tease you, but I will always look back on our memories together fondly._

_Our second date went much better. You had so much fun at the old amusement park that it made me forget all the bad things that had happened that day. You didn't forget, though. Even after I embarrassed you, telling you that was a date too, you still took me home and bandaged me up, and cared for me, saying that cats may have nine lives, but I'm human and I only have one. I'm glad that my one life had you in it._

_I didn't expect you to be the one to suggest our third day, but I really wish there could have been a fourth, fifth, sixth – I don't care that it's weird that I'm in high school and you're in elementary school. One day, those numbers won't matter anyway. In a few months, you'll be in your last year, and then you'll be in middle school, high school, college; we'll both grow up, and then one day you'll be twenty and I'll be twenty seven, and that doesn't seem so far apart._

_I hope this doesn't sound too weird, but I'm trying to be honest._

_From,_

_Ikuto_

{-}

_Dear Saku-chi!_

_Where did you go so suddenly? Yaya missed you! Wah! Pepe-tan does too, and so does everyone else! Well, maybe not Rima-tan, but I'll bet she secretly does; she's not fooling me! You have to come back and visit some time! And write back with your new number, too! I can't believe you changed it!_

_Don't you want to talk to me anymore?_

_From,_

_Yaya_

{-}

_Dear Haruno-san,_

_I know we never really talked, but I believed that I should write to you and tell you that you are missed here. No doubt Kukai and Yuiki-san already wrote you, but nevertheless it's always nice to know that a lot of people are thinking about you._

_Actually, I need your help, too. We're facing a new enemy in the form of Nazo Charas and, although Amu is dealing with them sufficiently, it is still hard without your special skills in combat and defence. I know there isn't much you can do, but perhaps you could explain to your current guardian that you are needed here, and then she will allow you to move back? I know Yuiki-san wouldn't mind you moving back into her spare room._

_Wishing you all the best,_

_Hotori Tadase_

_King's Chair_

{-}

_Dear Sakura-chan,_

_I got your address from Tadase; I hope that's alright. I don't really know if you remember me, but I'm Nadeshiko's twin, Nagihiko. We only met once, but I've been thinking about you a lot. When I enrolled at Seiyo and took the Jack's Chair position, I was a little disappointed to hear that you had moved away. I asked Tadase for a way to contact you and he gave me the address, saying that you have changed your number or something, so don't be mad at him, because I __asked__!_

_Anyway, I hope to hear back soon. I enjoy talking to you._

_From,_

_Nagihiko_

{-}

_Dear Sakura,_

_You're not writing back – not that I expected you too, though. I figured that I'd start telling you about what's been going on, rather than just reminding you of old times._

_That long-haired cross-dressing kid is back with the Guardians, just so you know. Yeah, I figured out that she was really a he a while back – I'm surprised it took you so long, and that the others still haven't really figured it out. It's not that hard, y'know. I overheard Amu the other day – twins? It's a little obvious, and completely overused._

_Ah, I forgot that you don't like me mentioning Amu. I'll bet you're getting all jealous right now, aren't you? You're probably all puffed up, ready to explode in a fit of jealous rage, huh? Well, don't worry – you're the only pinkette for me, I promise. I can't say the same about anyone else, but if you're interested, that Kukai kid still misses you, too._

_I'm not saying that he misses you as much as I do, and we __definitely__ do __not__ talk – I still hate that kid. I just thought that you would like to know, even if telling you hurts me. That's just how much I care about you. Does he care that much? I know, that was petty – but does he?_

_Back to the updates: there's this chick, new to Easter, who can turn people's Heart's Eggs into Nazo Eggs, which then __swallow the creator whole__ and turn them into a Nazo Chara. Freaky, am I right? Of course, the Guardians have been taking care of this pretty well so far, and Lulu – that's the girl – is being an annoying brat about it. I wouldn't be surprised if she and Amu become pretty good friends, or friendly rivals. Oops, talking about Amu again!_

_I don't know how well you and Utau got along, but she's doing well, too. Her popularity as a singer is rising again, and some of her old fans are coming back, but it's hard work to make a comeback after she quit Easter. She had a concert recently and it went really well, so I think it won't be too long until Utau is a worldwide name again._

_I'm sorry, but I have no real idea what's going on with the Guardians. I can't get within five feet of them without Tadase yelling his usual – he's the real prince-type, so I hope you're not looking for one of those, because I'd have something to say if you started dating that little brat. I'm still sort-of in contact with Nikaidou, though, and he misses you; something about his favourite student, and how everyone is an idiot, or whatever. You really made an impression on that one._

_I want to write more, but I need some sleep. I haven't been feeling all that great lately. Please, don't concern yourself with me, though – just be happy in your new life._

_Love from,_

_Ikuto_

{-}

_To Haruno Sakura,_

_I'll bet you didn't expect a letter from me, right? You're probably the only person I can talk to about this, so I got your forwarding address from that hyperactive carrot-top you used to hang out with. Something's wrong with Ikuto – he's not acting like himself and I'm worried for him, as his little sister._

_I know he's probably still in contact with you. Since you left, he's been depressed, but recently he's getting worse. I haven't seen him for days; it's like he's disappeared off the face of the earth. I know you can't do much from where you are, but try calling him, or writing to him, or something. If it's you, I know he'll respond._

_Yours hopefully,_

_Hoshina Utau_

{-}

_Dear Sakura,_

_I heard my brother wrote to you, and so I couldn't resist! I hope he wasn't being too flirty or weird? He can get a little over-excited sometimes, but don't hold it against him. He's a really great guy and you should give him a chance! He's athletic, funny, and smart – so much better than Ikuto. Sorry, I shouldn't make comments like that about your friend the cat, but __I'm__ he's my brother and I guess I'm bias in his favour!_

_Anyway, you should write him back. Don't worry about contacting me, I'll be very busy with my dancing and as such I probably won't be able to contact you much in return._

_Regards,_

_Fujisaki Nadeshiko_

{-}

_Dear Sakura,_

_You didn't write back, so I thought I'd try again – I may have written the address badly or something, so you didn't get the other one. The soccer game went great! My team won, and I was voted MVP! Can you believe it? I was so honoured!_

_I still miss you loads, and I really hope this letter reaches you and you write back. Just in case you can't write or whatever, I wrote my number on this one, so you can call me!_

_I hope I hear from you soon!_

_Kukai_

_XXXXX-XXX-XXX_

{-}

_Dearest Sakura,_

_This will be my last letter._

_Things are bad here, and not just because you left. I don't want to trouble you too much, so that is all I'll say for now. Just know this:_

_I care for you a great deal, Sakura, and nothing will ever change that. Not Kukai, not Easter, and not this distance that Tsunade has put between us._

_I don't care if I sound sappy or soppy or whatever, because it's the truth._

_Enjoy your new life._

_All my love,_

_Ikuto_

{-}

Tears in her eyes, Sakura read that fourth and final letter from Ikuto again and again.

She had to go back.


	12. Important Note

I'm slowly returning to my old self, thanks in part to the understanding of my watchers. The next chapter of Lonely Shugo II is underway, but may still take a while. Stress and grief have had me down for a while now, but I am getting better day by day. I am not disappearing, nor leaving, but updates will be slow for a short while longer.

Thanks for all your understanding.

Shadow Quil.


	13. Finding Home

Chapter Twelve

Sakura's eyes were stinging with unshed tears as she placed all the letters back in their envelopes. Her hands shook, making the task difficult, but she managed eventually. She sat there on her bed, still but for the shaking of her shoulders and the heaving of her chest with every shuddering breath she took. Her mind ran wild with accusations – why had the letters been hidden from her? Why was she just now receiving them?

The front door opened and close and Sakura became suddenly alert.

Tsunade was home.

Rage overtook her other emotions and Sakura snatched up the letters, storming out of her room and downstairs to the sitting room, where Tsunade was pacing back and forth. The blonde woman looked up at her charge's entrance, and neither spoke a word. Sakura glare at Tsunade in anger while the blonde's anguish bled through her own gaze. The pinkette's free fist was clenching and unclenching as she tried to rein in her emotions.

"Sakura, I –"

"Why would you do this?" interrupted the pinkette, thrusting the letters out in her tightened hand. "Did you know that this is technically mail fraud?"

"Now, Sakura –"

"No, you don't have a right to speak!" she yelled, her tears falling. "I was really beginning to think that my friends hated me for leaving without saying goodbye first. I thought they never wanted to speak to me again, when all along they've been trying to get in touch and _you_ have stopped it. Did you know Kairi lives close by? I could have visited him – I was so lonely here! Everyone has formed stronger bonds with each other since I left and I still barely know most of them past who they were when I left. I was so...alone."

"You've made friends again," Tsunade attempted, stepping forwards. Sharply, Sakura jerked back, her glare at full force.

"You opened one of Ikuto's letters," she said, her voice quiet but strong. "Did you think they were all from him? Is that why?"

"You were doing so well without him," the blonde stressed, but Sakura just shook her head.

"I missed him every day, and every single day my heart broke a little more, thinking that he hated me," she cried. "He's sick, Tsunade – I could have helped him, but I didn't even know until now! I – I just... I can't even stand to be around you right now."

Turning on her heel, Sakura ran back up to her room.

"Saku-chan!" called Mitsu happily, floating in circles around Sakura. "I had the best day with Pein-chan! I...What's wrong?" she asked, noting the tears in Sakura's eyes.

Without a word, the pinkette began packing up her belongings, jamming whatever she could fit into her large backpack and suitcase. This mainly consisted of clothes, shoes, etc., but she also packed a few trinkets, as well as her photos and letters. She struggled to close the bags, but they were luckily only full of light things, before she pulled on a green hoodie and sat on her bed to tug on her white trainers. It was at this point in time when her Charas finally spoke.

"Saku-chan, what's going on?" asked Katsumi, worried for her owner. Sakura looked up at the four of them, floating in front of her with concerned expressions, and smiled weakly.

"We're going back to Seiyo," she told them, lacing up her shoes and standing. "I can't stay here, not knowing that Ikuto's in trouble."

"What about Tsunade-san?" questioned Setsuko, frowning. "You cannot return without your guardian, Saku-chan."

"I can and I will," she said firmly. "I was doing just fine without her."

"You were a member of Easter," growled Mari, "Under their control and attacking your friends. How is that 'doing just fine', Saku-chan?"

"I was living with Yaya," Sakura corrected, "and rebuilding their trust in me. I got out of Easter thanks to Ikuto and Amu-san, not Tsunade. All she did was move me away from my new friends and hide their letters from me."

"We should move back," Setsuko nodded, floating to Sakura and perching on her shoulder. "Our memories are mixed, both the good and the bad, but Seiyo is where we belong."

"What about Kimimaro?" snapped Mari, watching as Setsuko faltered and her determination wilted. "What about Juken, or Kyuubi, or Pein? What about all of our friends, and yours too, Saku-chan! What'll happen if you leave them again, without a word? Gaara barely forgave you this time, it'd crush him if you left again!"

"I don't have a choice!" screamed the pinkette. "I'm only a kid!" she sobbed, curling up on the floor by her bed. "I don't know what to do. I just want to do the right thing, but I don't know what that is," she whimpered, rubbing her face as her tears continued to flow.

Downstairs, the phone rang.

Sakura was already on her way out the window.

{-}

Sakura felt almost like she was stuck in a dream as she walked further from her house. She couldn't focus or follow coherent patterns of thought. All she felt was numb. Ikuto filled every corner of her mind – was he ill? Did something happen to him? Were Easter involved? With every question she felt her defences break more and more.

It wasn't right – Tsunade should have never hidden those letters from her. If only she had known, she could have –

She stopped, her thoughts halting in an instant.

_'What could I have done?'_ she asked herself. _'I'm stuck here in Gakure. There's no way for me to get back to Seiyo. I...I couldn't have done anything.'_

Her thoughts then took a different path, wondering what would have happened if she had never moved, never accepted Tsunade's offer to take her in? She would have never seen her old friends, never reconnected with Gaara... Gaara... He would be crushed. He had such a hard time trusting people, and she had broken his trust once before. How could she do that to him again? How would he react this time? Would he hate her?

_'He should hate me...'_

"Saku-cha, look out!" cried Mari, breaking Sakura from her thoughts just in time to stop her from walking into someone.

"Sasuke?" she recognised, feeling a stone settle in her stomach. She hadn't really spoken to him since moving back, yet she still considered him one of her best friends.

"It's been a while, Sakura," he said, smirking at her – in a friendly way, rather than a threatening way. After all, for Sasuke to actually smile, it took rather a lot, so she learnt to be content with a smirk.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, looking around.

"We're standing outside my house," he told her. Sakura looked around and, sure enough, she was stood right outside the Uchiha estate.

"Oh, my bad," she acknowledged, looking towards her feet. Frowning, Sasuke moved closer to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Sakura looked up and met his eye, her expression a painting of confusion, stress and sorrow. Sasuke was slightly stunned to see how upset his friend was and immediately gathered her into a hug.

Sniffling, Sakura just held him, remembering all the times that Sasuke had comforted her with his hug. It was so rare for him to initiate contact, so when he did, it meant a lot. She smiled into his shoulder and held tightly for a moment until both let go. Meeting his eye again, Sakura was a lot calmer and far less worried about everything. Sasuke smirked – he was such a charmer.

"Now, do you want to tell me what's up?"

{-}

"Well, that's...a lot," Sasuke told her. They were sat on the sofa in his living room, sipping tea and eating some biscuits his mother had brought them.

"I don't know what to do," she admitted.

"You need to talk to Tsunade," he advised, smirking a little when Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I know."

"You need to speak to Gaara," he added and she frowned.

"I know," she said again, almost whispered.

"...You need to go back to Seiyo," he told her hesitantly. Sasuke didn't want to lose her, but Gakure wasn't her home anymore. Seiyo was. He'd seen her there, around her new friends, and he knew that was where she belonged.

"I...huh?" she whipped her head round, staring at him. Sasuke merely shrugged.

"You asked my opinion, and that's it," he said bluntly. "You need to go home."

"You really think so?" she asked, her voice full of hope.

"...Yes," he nodded. "We'll all miss you, but it's where you belong."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried, leaping into his arms and holding him tightly. Sasuke blushed and looked to the side.

"J-Just remember to say goodbye to everyone this time."

"I will," she nodded, letting go. "I'll start with you, okay?"

"Don't worry about," Sasuke sighed. "I know why you have to go – I'm the only telling you to. You don't have to say goodbye to me."

"I want to," she said softly, kissing his cheek. "I'll miss you, Sasuke-kun."

{-}

Sakura wandered around the streets.

She knew she had to go back home, but she didn't know how to say goodbye to everyone. It would be easier to do it when they were all together, but there was still the question of how to get them all in one place. Not all of them hung out, or got along, or even knew each other! She was pretty sure that Ino had never, in her life, met Nagato, and Sasori definitely didn't know Hinata.

_'Though they'd have a lot to talk about,'_ she mused _'Maybe Sasori could even help Naruto with Kyuubi...'_

Her eyes widened and she turned to her Charas, looking at each of them. They returned her look with a confused one and she smiled, pulling out her phone.

{-}

"Why are we here again?" asked Shikamaru, rubbing the back of his head.

Sakura had call all of the Chara bearers in Gakure to an old building just on the edge of town. She was surprised when Katsumi mentioned to call Shikamaru as well, but had done just that. In attendance was Madara, Nagato, Itachi, Sasori, Kankuro, Shikamaru, Zaku, Hinata, and Naruto. She had been pleasantly shocked to find that Nagato had also brought his girlfriend, Konan, who was also a Chara bearer.

"You all have a Chara, and it's time that you knew just what they're for," Sakura said firmly. Itachi frowned, raising his hand to draw attention.

"I thought they were representations of our would-be selves," he responded, gaining a majority of head nods in responds. Sakura smiled, shrugging.

"On a personal level, yes, but they also exist for the greater good," she continued, looking around. "Back in Seiyo, there was a club call The Guardians, who all had Charas and used their powers to defend innocent people against X-Eggs and help save Heart Eggs from turning negative or disappearing."

"So?" asked Zaku, tiling his head, "What's your point?"

"I thought..." Sakura sighed. "I'm leaving again," she told them, ignoring the general uproar. "Seiyo needs me – things are getting bad there, but I didn't just want to leave as though I was never here. I thought, maybe, if Gakure had a similar group as the Guardians, then..."

"Excellent," agreed Madara, stepping up. "This idea of yours isn't half bad, Haruno-san. It would be a good way to support people new to Charas, also," he added, looking between Naruto and Shikamaru.

"I'm glad you agree, Uchiha-san," Sakura smiled, "because I figured, with you being the oldest person I know with a Chara, you could be the advisor, and oversee the group."

"Wonderful," he nodded, "And I would like to nominate Nagato as my second."

"Gladly," nodded the teen, looking towards Konan, "and Konan will assist me."

"It's going great already," whispered Mitsu happily.

"I'll leave you guys to get things sorted, then," Sakura smiled. "Any questions before I go?"

"Why are you leaving?" Naruto asked immediately, his blue eyes screaming sadness. "We just got you back, Sakura-chan."

"W-What's so important that y-you have to l-leave again?" followed Hinata, frowning delicately.

"I thought you'd just got settled back in here," Zaku commented, not even looking at her. Sakura looked around them all and sighed, a sad smile covering her face.

"I love it here," she admitted, "and I love being around you guys again, but I'm thinking about a bigger picture here. We're all moving on to Middle School soon, if we're not there or further already," she added, looking at Itachi, Nagato, Konan, Zaku, Kankuro, Sasori and Madara. "We'll be split up and moving on, and I'll never really fit in again. I fit in back in Seiyo. I have a place, a purpose, and a life there. I was torn away from that to come back in the first place, and they need me there, with the Guardians."

"We get it," Sasori nodded, "but it's still hard. It'll be even harder for those who don't have Charas – how can they possibly understand if they don't even know why you're leaving?"

"I don't know," she confessed.

"What about Gaara?" asked Kankuro, voicing the question everyone had been dancing around.

Gaara wasn't someone who opened up easily, and it had taken him a long time to build a friendship with Sakura. They had finally manage to form something of a kinship, and she had left without a word. It had hurt everyone, but no one was a crushed and betrayed as Gaara. Sakura bit her lip, looking down and clenching her fists.

"I'll talk to him," she promised, "but this is something that I need to do."

{-}

Quietly, Sakura closed the door behind her. She paused, holding her breath and hoping that Tsunade hadn't heard her come back in. There was no noise in the house and she thought she was in the clear until Tonton trotted up to her, snorting and squealing happily. Confused, Sakura picked up the pig and walked into the living room.

"Shizune?" she called, not sure whether the dark-haired woman would be a friend or a foe in her argument with Tsunade.

When she entered the room, however, there was another person in there – one whom she hadn't expected to see.

"Amakawa-san?" she voiced, thoroughly bewildered. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't be rude, Sakura," scolded Tsunade, though she backed down when Sakura directed a heated glare towards her.

"As Chairman of Seiyo Elementary," Amakawa Tsukasa explained, "I have come here to speak with your guardian about a way of perhaps bringing you back to the school. We have discussed how great an asset you were to Seiyo," he said, giving her a knowing look, "but also how Tsunade-san is unable to relocate."

"So, what?" Sakura asked. "What's the conclusion?"

"The town had apartments for students who study away from home," he informed her. "These are usually used by students of the college in the next town, or for foreign students, but there are a few reserved for students of the Elementary, Middle, and High Schools in times of need."

"I will continue to pay for your tuition," Tsunade cut in, "as well as your rent and living fees. I can more than afford it and...I want you to be happy, Sakura. That can only be if you're in Seiyo. I know that now."

"So...I get to go home?" she enquired, her voice cautious and barely above a whisper.

"We leave tomorrow," smiled Tsukasa.

"You should probably pack," Tsunade told her. Sakura jumped and shook her head.

"No, there's something I have to do first!"

{-}

"Ino! Ino! Ino!" she yelled, banging on her friend's door with every shout. It opened, revealing Inoichi."

"Whoa, Sakura," he chuckled. "Where's the fire?"

"Sorry," she breathed. "Is Ino home?"

"Sakura?" her blonde friend questioned curiously, seeing an out-of-breath, flushed pinkette on the other side of her door. "What's wrong?"

"That's my cue," Inoichi smiled, leaving his daughter to talk to her friend.

"Ino, I'm going home!" Sakura told her, happily, but also with sadness. She was so excited, but now that she saw her friend, she was reluctant. Still, she knew she had to go.

"Uhh, okay?" she replied, thoroughly confused.

"No, you don't understand," she continued. "I'm going back to Seiyo!"

_SMACK_

"Saku-chan!" yelped her Charas, but Ino, of course, didn't hear them.

"I-Ino?" she asked, stunned. Tears filled Ino's eyes as she watched a red mark appear on Sakura's cheek where she had slapped her.

"How dare you!" she cried "How dare you come to me and say that so happily!"

"I...I don't –"

"No! You don't get to speak!" she continued. "Do you hate it here? I thought I was your friend, yet you're so happy to leave! Don't you even care about me?"

"Of course I care!" replied Sakura. "This was hard for me! I didn't know what I was going to do until I talked to Sasuke. He's the one who told me I needed to go home."

"Then I'll slap him too!" she yelled. Both girls stood, staring at each other.

Ino cracked first, laughing loudly, and Sakura soon joined her.

"Y-You...smacking...S-S-Sasuke!" giggled the pinkette.

"I-I-I bet h-his face w-wouldn't e-even change!" Ino laughed along with her.

"Sure it would – he'd have a lovely red mark on his cheek," Sakura said, calming a little.

"Like you?" asked Ino, a little sheepishly. "I'm sorry. It was a gut-reaction. I really should learn to control my anger."

"Maybe," smiled Sakura. "I'm kinda glad you did, though. I had no right to be happy about leaving you."

"You're happy to be going home, Sakura," Ino sighed, looking down, "and I can't blame you for that. Just...Just keep in touch this time, okay?"

"I promise."

{-}

Taking a deep breath, Sakura headed out in the direction of Gaara's house.

This was the part she was dreading.

She had no idea how he would react, if he did at all. He could just shut the door in her face. He could yell at her, disowning her as a friend. He could do anything, and she couldn't begin to guess what. That was always what she'd loved about Gaara, how unpredictable he was, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Why don't you guys go home?" she said quietly to her Charas. "You could find your friend and say goodbye, if you want. Just be home by nine."

"Are you sure, Saku-chan?" asked Mitsu – always the most compassionate, when she wasn't ordering people around.

"You might need us, should things no go well," added Setsuko – she was the sensible, mature one, after all.

"Of course things will go well!" grinned Katsumi – ever the optimist.

"Just remember to take it easy, okay? If he's angry, let him be angry," finished Mari – she was the protective one, always looking after the weak. Sakura still didn't know how Gaara would react, but the last time she left he had definitely been weakened.

"I know, I will," Sakura assured her. "Please, this is something I need to do alone. Even if he can't see you, he deserves that much."

"Okay, Saku-chan," nodded Setsuko.

"We'll see you later!" called Katsumi as they all floated away.

Taking another breath to calm her nerves, Sakura turned down Gaara's street, her mind running through all possible ways of telling him. She had gone through at least ten difference scenarios, all of which ended with her being kicked out of his house, when, the next thing she knew, she was sitting on the pavement, having knocked into something solid.

"Ow, ow, ow," she whined, rubbing her nose when where it had hit the object.

"Sakura?" a deep voice questioned as the boy she had run into knelt down to help her. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you. You turned the corner so quickly."

"Gaara," Sakura yelped, shooting up off her feet and stepping back from him. A look of horror crossed her face – she wasn't even nearly ready. "W-What are you doing out?"

"Kankuro just got home and told me you needed to talk to me," he explained calmly. "I was on my way over to your place. I guess it was more urgent than that, hmm?" he mused, smiling slightly.

"Y-Yeah, kinda," Sakura confessed, rubbing the back of her head.

"What is it?" he questioned, now slightly concerned.

"I...I really don't know how to say this," she whimpered.

"Sakura, it's fine," sighed Gaara.

"I have to say it, but I don't know where to start."

"It's fine, really."

"It's unfair not to tell you, but I just...I'm really unsure how –"

"I already know," he told her.

"H-Huh?" Sakura responded dumbly. "H-How?"

"I overheard Kankuro telling Temari," he replied, closing his eyes for a while before looking down at his feet, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm glad you were going to tell me yourself."

"I would have told Temari, too, but I'm leaving tomorrow, and –"

"Tomorrow?" he hissed, scowling at her. "You're leaving tomorrow and you're only just telling people now?"

"I only found out today," she explained, watching his anger melt into sadness.

"Do you have to go?" he whispered, stepping forwards and taking her hand between two of his. "You and Naruto...you were my first friends. You two made me feel safe, and loved, and now...you're leaving again?"

"I don't belong here anymore, Gaara," Sakura said sadly. "I belong in Seiyo, with Amu, and Yaya, and Tadase, Rima, Kukai, I...Ikuto," she told him, the last name leaving her mouth like a prayer. Gaara smiled minutely at the sound.

"You like this 'Ikuto', huh?" he asked.

"Very, very much," Sakura confessed. "More than I'd care to admit, actually."

"Is it selfish of me to still not want you to go?" he asked, frowning.

"No," Sakura smiled. "It actually makes me feel very happy that you care so much, but I need to be in Seiyo."

"I understand," he nodded, but then he shook his head. "No, that's I lie. I don't understand at all, but...if it's what would make you happy, then I can accept it."

"Thank you, Gaara," she muttered, leaning in close. "Thank you so much," she said, kissing his cheek. Gaara stiffened and threw his arms around her, bringing her as close as possible.

"I'll miss you so much," he whimpered, hiding his face in her shoulder.

"I'll miss you, too," Sakura replied, tears falling from her eyes.

For a time, all the two friends did was hold each other.

Gaara hoped that time would stop and he could be with his first female friend forever.

Sakura wished that letting go wasn't so hard, but even as the tears fell and her heart squeezed in her chest, she knew she wouldn't trade the pain she was feeling for anything.

Names whirled around in her head.

Ino. Hinata. Temari. Tenten.

They were her _girls_. Nothing would ever replace them, but now she also had Amu, Yaya, and, to an extent, Rima.

Kankuro. Lee. Recently, Zaku.

The boys she would turn to with anything and everything. They would always cheer her up, but now she also had Kukai, Tadase, and Kairi.

Itachi. Sasori. Deidara. Konan. Nagato. Kakashi. Madara.

The older teens and adults she looked to for advice. Now she could look to Yukari-san, Nikaido-sensei, Tsukasa-san, and, if she was really desperate, even Utau.

Neji. Gaara.

At one point, she fancied herself in love with Neji, and at one point she had hated Gaara. Now, though, she could think of nothing but the best times she had with her friends.

Sasuke. Naruto.

Sakura choked back a sob as she thought those two name. They had been her everything for so long. Her sparring partners, her team, her boys. She would have done anything for those two – anything at all. They had been there through illness, health, victory, defeat. Every failed test, every family expectation, every bully. They were always there.

And now she was leaving.

One final name broke through her mind, overtaking all other.

Ikuto.

She knew where she belonged.


	14. I Missed You

Chapter Thirteen

"I heard Haruno Sakura is back," said Nikaido Yuu as he barged into Tsukasa's office unannounced.

"She is indeed," smiled the headmaster of the school.

"Put her in my class, or I quit," he demanded, his eyes narrowing at the man behind the desk.

"Of course," nodded Tsukasa. "I was planning to place her in your class all along, after the fuss you put up last time," he chuckled.

"Good," sighed Nikaido. "I don't know how much longer I could survive a class full of idiots."

{-}

"She's here," a tiny voice said to an empty room.

The Chara floated around before perching on a desk and sighed.

It was a female Chara, with black hair and dark grey eyes. Her hair was long, and all flipped over to the left side of her head, a large silver circlet looping around her head, under the flip of hair. On the right side of the circlet was a multi-coloured triskel, each of the three swirls a different colour – one red, one blue, and one green – and the centre was gold.

She wore a black dress with a shoulder sleeve that flicked off her right shoulder, the left side of her torso uncovered by the dress, but clothed in a light grey tank top. The skirt of the dress had three silver hoops that held the material out in a bell-shape, which stopped at her knee. On her feet were light grey boots.

Someone entered the room, spotting the Chara out of her egg instantly.

"Is your owner back?" the person asked.

The Chara said nothing. She merely looked out of the window and, for the first time since hatching, smiled.

{-}

Sakura dropped her bags in the doorway, surveying her new home.

While Tsukasa had left Gakure the day after they had spoken, Sakura had requested to stay until after Christmas. It was an extra two weeks that she got to spend with her old friends, saying her goodbyes and making sure not to miss anyone out this time. She spent time with Sasuke and Naruto, and Ino and Hinata.

She would have spent time with Gaara, too, but he seemed to have gone almost underground after their talk. Over the last two weeks of her living in Gakure, she barely saw him. It worried her to no end, but Sasori, Kankuro and Temari had assured her that he was fine, that she had nothing to concern herself with. He was there for her send-off, but it seemed that the thought of her leaving again so soon was a little too much for him.

Her new home was actually rather spacious, with a kitchen that stretched into a dining room, living room and one bathroom on the ground floor, and five bedrooms and another bathroom on the first floor. The big furniture was already in place – sofa, tables, chairs, cooker, television, fridge, freezer, etc. The walls throughout were white and in desperate need of decorating, and the flooring around the apartment was wood. Though, with some giddy joy, Sakura discovered that she had a basement – something she happily moved her boxed into once they were empty.

What confused Sakura, however, was the fact that she was moved into a house rather than an apartment. More so, it was also a house with five partially-furnished bedrooms – each had a bed and wardrobe, but were plain and bare aside from that. Deciding to leave the other four rooms alone, Sakura wondered for a moment if she was going to have roommates – it would make more sense than her getting the place to herself, after all.

Her Charas had settled in, after making a deal with Sakura that they wouldn't go see anyone until Sakura had revealed herself. So, the would-be-selves were busying themselves by playing hide-and-seek and familiarising themselves with the new apartment. Smiling, Sakura got started on her first box, carrying it to the kitchen and beginning to unpack.

"Hey, Katsumi?" called Mitsu, pausing and frowning. "Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?" asked the red Chara, confused. Setsuko and Mari joined the two to see what was wrong.

"I feel like something's missing," she told them. The other Charas exchanged looks, Mari shrugging.

"Maybe you miss Pein?" suggested Setsuko, tilting her head delicately. Mitsu hummed, concentrating, before shaking her head.

"No, that's not it," she assured. "It feels like it does when one of you goes away – like something's missing."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Mari shrugged and Mitsu nodded, though she wasn't completely convinced.

"I can't wait to see Yoru again!" squealed Katsumi. "It's been so long!"

"Not long enough," grumbled the green Chara. "At least we'll see Daichi soon."

"I wonder," smiled Setsuko mysteriously.

"Wonder what?" asked Mitsu.

"Stop being so vague!" growled Mari. Setsuko sighed and, where she less of a lady, she may have rolled her eyes.

"I wonder who Saku-chan will go to see first," she elaborated. "Ikuto?"

"She could find the Guardians first," Katsumi pointed out. "Amu, Yaya, and the others."

"Maybe she'll try to find Kukai?" added Mari.

"Actually," Sakura cut in, smiling and holding her phone in her hand, "the first thing I'm going to do is call Kairi. I didn't get a chance to visit him, because I didn't know he was so close by, so I think it's only fair to call him now." She turned away from her Charas, pulling out her phone and dialling his number, waiting for him to pick up.

"_...Hello?_" came the voice from the other end and Sakura grinned.

"Hi, Kairi," she replied, "it's Sakura."

"_But, but –_" he gasped and Sakura raised an eyebrow, "_I am still not worthy!_"

{-}

After her strange phone call with Kairi, Sakura finished unpacking her stuff in her new home. It seemed a little smaller with all her stuff set up, but she still couldn't find anything to fill the four other bedrooms and found it very peculiar that she, on her own, was given a five-bedroom house. Still, she decided not to question it further for the moment and decided to simply make some dinner, eat, watch a movie, and go to bed. The next three days went the same, though a few calls were made and received from her friends in Gakure. All-in-all, Sakura was getting extremely bored.

Then it was New Years.

Her kimono was two-part – a shirt and a skirt – and grassy in colour, decorated with lighter green vines and plum blossoms. The obi around her kimono was yellow, with orange padding behind it, tied with a lighter yellow obijime, all of which had no pattern. On her feet she wore white tabi and black sandals, both plain. Looking at herself for a moment, Sakura decided to pin back the top layer of her hair – minus two locks, which lay on either side of her face – and curled the rest, leaving it to hang to just above her waist.

"Happy New Years, Saku-chan!" cheered her Charas as they appeared around her, carrying her cream, faux fur shawl.

Sakura smiled happily, wrapping her shawl around her shoulders, before turning to look into her new home. She sighed slightly, biting her lip as she looked at the walls, floors, and the scattered pictures and trinkets that showed the house was inhabited. The pinkette almost lost her nerve, almost ran back into her room to change and spend New Year inside. That is, until she looked at her sofa.

Propped up against the pillows was a dark blue, plush cat. The very same one she had bought from Yaya, and was teased about by Ikuto. The cat she had privately – top secretly – named Iku-chan.

Her stomach dropped as Sakura stared at Iku-chan and remembered Ikuto letters. Something was wrong, and she needed to see him, if only to confirm that he was okay.

With that thought in mind, Sakura checked her bag, making sure she had the item she had dug out of her old belonging a few weeks ago, and left her house in the direction of the temple, her Charas following closely behind her.

{-}

It was quiet, and dark.

A figure hid in the shadows, pressed against a wall with their eyes closed.

Dark blue eyes opened when the figure heard voices.

"The girl is back in town," a faceless voice drifted into the space.

"Me too," another responded. "You think the boss'll move forward with the plan now?"

"Who knows?" said the first voice. "I hope so, though! It'll be amazing!"

"I know, right?" laughed the other. "Haruno Sakura was a force to be reckoned with!"

Ikuto looked up in recognition, a longing stirring from deep within his heart, and a primal need to protect, but he was tired. So very tired.

Dark blue eyes closed again, and all was quiet.

The shadow shifted.

He was gone.

{-}

The temple hadn't changed. It looked pretty much the same as it always had, the handful of times Sakura had been there.

People were milling about, taking their yearly fortune from the tree. Everyone looked wonderful in their Kimonos, but Sakura wasn't there for the sights, she was looking for someone. A group of people, actually.

In a circle, bowing and wishing each other a happy New Year, was the group Sakura was looking for.

She took a small step towards them, pausing when she noted a new, but still familiar, face amongst them.

"Nagihiko-san?" she muttered, taking in the male-version of Nadeshiko within the Guardians.

She looked from him to Tadase, to Rima, to Amu, and finally to Yaya. Tears gathered in her eyes and she felt nervous. She had missed them so much – well, she had missed _Yaya_ so much, and felt vaguely put-out about the lack of the other three. Still, Sakura was nervous about how they would react to seeing her again. She hadn't meant to, but she had ignored their calls and letters throughout the entire time she lived in Gakure.

"Katsumi!" someone yelled in surprise. "Setsuko! Mari! Mitsu!"

Sakura froze, knowing the voices that called to her Charas. The was the Guardians' Chara, and now she was exposed. There was no running, no hiding, no rethinking.

"Sakura-chan?" Yaya asked in a whisper, looking over at the pinkette. She received a weak smile in return.

"I'm home."

All at once, she was tackled by what her muddled mind thought were voices, but it was really Yaya hugging her and the other Guardians surrounding her, offering greetings and questioning her about her disappearing act. Sakura could see that her Charas were receiving the same treatment.

Her eyes watery and her lips quivering, Sakura latched onto Yaya like a lifeline.

"I missed you so much!" she sobbed into the orangette's shoulder. Everyone else went quiet at this admission, no one moving a muscle.

"We missed you too, Sakura," said Amu after a moment, moving in to join the hug.

"It wasn't the same without you, Haruno-san," agreed Tadase, not hugging the girl, but placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I have missed your random, sometimes overly convenient appearances in Guardian matters. They were always impeccably timed," Rima said tonelessly.

"Ah, Sakura-san!" smiled Nagihiko, trying to glimpse the girl inside the hug. "I was wondering where you'd gone to."

{-}

Ikuto stood in the meeting with Lulu and Director Hoshina, barely listening at the girl placed all the blame for her failure on him. He didn't care anymore. He had more important things on his mind. He even managed to tune out Yoru arguing with Lulu's Chara, Nana.

He stood silently as she stormed out, and didn't say a word throughout Director Hoshina's lecture about how he was trapped, never to escape the choking grip that was Easter. He should care, he should feel rebellious, rage, anything, but he's too tired, and too occupied to care.

Yoru should be about done now, anyway.

"I know," he managed to say when Director Hoshina was finished. "I'm going home."

There was so much he wanted to say to this man after what he had heard in the Easter building mere hours ago.

Is she really back?

Where is she?

Is she okay?

Don't touch her.

Don't ruin her life again.

Leave Sakura alone.

She doesn't deserve this.

She deserves so much more.

Ikuto is silent as he excuses himself, silent as he walks out of the Easter building, and silent as he aimlessly wanders the streets.

"It worked, nya!" cheered Yoru, popping up beside him, holding a key. "The key to the violin case!"

Smirking, Ikuto allowed himself a moment of victory. He had beaten the director, tricked him into thinking he had submit to Easter, when really he was just being a little sneakier about his rebellious behaviour.

Sakura was back, he could feel it, and he would protect her against Easter.

_'Please be okay.'_

{-}

They had spent the day just having fun, really. Something Sakura had missed doing with them.

They wandered around the shops, they read their fortunes – Great Luck for Amu, Average Luck for Yaya, Small Luck for Rima and Nagihiko, and Great Misfortune for Tadase and Sakura, the former of whom was distressed, the latter of whom shrugged it off – and they teased Tadase about him complimenting Amu's kimono.

"So she just took away your phone?" asked Yaya, her jaw dropped.

"Just like that," nodded Sakura.

The two girls were walking around town together, just catching up. The whole group was originally present, but Tadase and Nagihiko had excused themselves early due to family traditions. Amu and Rima had stayed a while, until they had walked by the park and Rima saw something that she had declared 'an insult to performance' and she had stormed off in that direction, Amu trailing behind her to try and minimise the damage.

"You must've been so lonely, Sakura-chan!" pouted the younger girl, trying to imagine how Sakura felt, but that just made her want to cry. "No wonder you came back!"

"Well, it wasn't all bad," Sakura frowned. "I have a lot of friends there, and I'll miss them very much. I even started up a new group there, like the Guardians, but mostly for teaching Chara bearers what it means to have a Chara, and what to expect as they grow up. There's an adult in Gakure whose older than your dad, and he still has one of his Charas!"

"That's amazing!" smiled Yaya, clapping her hands. "It sounds like you did good there, Sakura-chan."

"I'll miss them all a lot, but..." the pinkette trailed off, looking around the street they were on, "I finally feel like I'm home."

"You are home, Sakura," a voice said from down the street.

Sakura turned and gasped, instantly running to the person and hugging him.

"I missed you!" she cried. "How did you know I was here?"


	15. What the Snow Brings

Chapter Fourteen

It had been a long journey from Gakure, and they were still a day away from their destination, but his travelling companions would not shut up. Well, two of them, at any rate. The arguing back-and-forth was beginning to get on his last nerve, but their fourth companion refused to pull over and make them stop for fear of being late.

Settling in, the boy simply did his best to ignore them as he closed his eyes and pictured arriving at their new home, pictured seeing her again.

Sakura.

{-}

"How did you know I was here?" Sakura asked, lifting her face from the boy's chest to look up at him.

"Amu texted me," he replied, his usual grin falling easily onto his face. "I can't believe you didn't tell me yourself!" he laughed.

"I would have, but I had my phone taken away!" she defended, pulling away from him and crossing her arms with a pout. "I...I got your letters. Did the soccer match go okay?"

"More than okay!" he enthused, "We won, but it would've been easier with my lucky charm there!"

"I missed you, Kukai," Sakura sniffed, hugging him again.

"I gotta go, Sakura-chan," Yaya butted in, tapping the pinkette's shoulder. "Call me tomorrow, though!"

"I promise," Sakura nodded and Yaya skipped off, in the direction of home. "So, how's Middle School going?"

"Not too bad," shrugged Kukai as the two began walking. "I kinda feel like I've been forgotten a bit since I left elementary school, though."

"You never had a problem with showing up at random before," the girl smiled, nudging him. "Why let yourself get forgotten now?"

"I dunno," he sighed. "It's...different. Every time I go by the Royal Garden now, they have so many stories and have met so many people...I can't always connect with it anymore."

"I know how you feel," Sakura agreed. "When I went back to Gakure, everyone had grown up so much. They would talk about things I didn't know and laugh at jokes I didn't understand. It was hard, but they were still my friends, so I couldn't tell them."

"I'm glad you're back, Sakura," smiled Kukai, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Me too."

The two were quiet, just looking at each other for the longest time. Sakura smiled and causally inched away, and Kukai sighed. Brushing past the awkward moment, Kukai told her all about his classes, and his friends in middle school, while Sakura told him about the new Guardian-like club she had set up in Gakure.

They walked through the town happily, stopping for dinner before Kukai walked her home when it started getting dark. The two talked and laughed like friends, but every glance and every smile held something much deeper.

Neither said a word.

{-}

"So, I am getting a new guardian?" questioned the pinkette, on the phone to Tsukasa. She had arrived home to the sound of her landline ringing, and rushed to pick it up.

_"Of course,"_ he replied. "_They should be arriving tomorrow, sometime after six._"

"Who?" she asked, frowning.

_"A friend_," the man told her mysteriously. "_I'm afraid I have to run, Haruno-san, I have a lot of errands to run. See you at school on Monday!"_

"Yeah, see you," she muttered, hanging up with a sigh.

"You expected roommates, Saku-chan," Setsuko reminded her, settling on Sakura's shoulder.

"Yes, I did, but not a guardian," Sakura nodded, "but he said 'a friend'. I wonder...does that mean someone from Gakure?"

"Probably," yawned Mari, stretching out her limbs. "Enough chatter, though. I'm tired."

"Me too," agreed Katsumi, rubbing her eyes.

"Okay, let's go to sleep, then," Sakura nodded, changing into her pyjamas and heading to bed. As her Charas settled down to sleep, Sakura headed over to the window.

She had seen Yaya, and the strange relief at know the orangette was happy to see her again had lifted a weight off her shoulders. Amu, Tadase and Rima seemed well, too, and for that she was strangely happy – even she didn't realised how much she'd missed them. Seeing Nagihiko was unexpected, but not an unpleasant surprise, even if they didn't really talk.

When she had come across Kukai, she had practically exploded with joy. He had almost been forgotten in her move back home, as Yaya had filled her mind the entire time. Once she saw him, however, all the sadness from missing him came back and she couldn't help but run to him.

Still, though, she knew someone was missing.

Peeking outside, Sakura searched desperately for a flash of blue, but saw nothing. She sighed, making sure her window was unlocked, before closing the curtains and slipping into bed, hugging her cat plush Iku-chan tighter than ever.

{-}

"Saku-chan, wake up, wake up, wake up!" a chorus of little voices yelled, pulling Sakura from her slumber. She opened one eye groggily and lifted her head from her pillow, clutching at Iku-chan.

"What?" she yawned, stretching.

"Snow!" screamed Katsumi in excitement. Sakura, now a little more awake, raised an eyebrow.

"Snow?" she repeated, looking to a more level-headed Chara.

"It's snowing, Saku-chan," Mitsu smiled brightly. "Everything is white outside!"

Quickly, Sakura moved from her bed to her window, still holding the large navy blue plush, pulling open her curtains in one movement. She gasped when she beheld the winter wonderland outside. All over everything, there was snow, and it was still falling gracefully from the sky like droplets of frozen joy. She grinned widely, rushing around her house as she washed and dressed for the day.

Once she had pulled on her red winter coat over her white jumper, and her blue jeans, black boots, and cream hat-scarf-gloves combo, Sakura rushed through her front door. She did, however, turn back once she was halfway out to place Iku-chan back inside, on her sofa. When she had done that, she darted back outside.

The girl spun in the street, the snowflakes drifting to her and landing on her head. Giggling, she lifted her hands, catching the snow in her glove-covered palms. She looked up, watching as the pale grey clouds floated overhead, dropping snow like a baker dusting pastries with icing sugar. Sighing happily, Sakura closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the cold snow melting on her cheeks.

"Sakura-chan!" yelled a familiar voice. Sakura turned, watching as her Charas soared over to greet their friends as the Guardians – minus Amu, but with addition of Kukai – approached her.

"Morning," she greeted them with a smile. "Where are you all headed?"

"Over to the school," explained Tadase with a polite smile. "Yaya was going to play in the snow for a while, and she found Rima and Nagihiko on the way. I was already headed over there, and I ran into Kukai."

"I just wanted to leave footprints," Kukai grinned easily. "Then Tadase and I bumped into Yaya and the others, so we all just decided to head over together."

"Oh," nodded the pinkette.

"You wanna come with?" asked Kukai. Sakura grinned.

"Sure," she agreed. "Let me just lock up."

As soon as she had locked her door, Sakura and the group began their walk to the school. The snow was coming down lighter than before, and they made good time, catching up and chatting happily. Sakura walked between Yaya and Kukai, splitting her attention between the two, while Yaya kept looking back to make sure Rima and Nagihiko – who she had apparently dragged only – hadn't escaped.

When they entered the school courtyard, it wasn't as empty as they had expected, and Kukai let out a disappointed sigh to see that someone had already dotted the grounds with footprints. Yaya was the first to spot Amu, the Joker watching over her sister while Ami ran around in the snow.

"Ah, you already beat us here, Amu-chi!" Yaya yelled in greeting, waving her arm at the taller pinkette.

"Yaya, guys," she realised as they came closer.

"And here I thought I was the most fired up!" Yaya grinned. "Even Sakura-chan was out playing in the snow before me!"

"We wanted to be the first to leave footprints," explained Kukai.

"Did you all come to play in the snow, too?" she asked.

"More like dragged along," Rima told her monotonously. "I was out shopping and Yaya caught me."

"Same here," admitted Nagihiko. Sakura looked back, eyeing him for a moment, and he smiled back.

"I was called here by the chairman," Tadase added.

"And so, since we're all here anyway..." Kukai trailed off.

"Let's play," Yaya began.

"Our hearts out!" she Kukai said together, pumping their fists in the air. Amu sweat-dropped in disbelief while Sakura shook her head, a fond smile flashing across her face.

"This is not the way I imagined things would go," the taller of the two sighed, but she went along with it anyway.

The group played for a while, Yaya and Ami building a snowman while Amu, Rima and Kukai jumped in the snow. Tadase headed off to see the chairman, and Sakura stood back with Nagihiko. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and frowned.

"Do they know?" she asked. He looked at her, startled, before sighing and shaking his head.

"Tadase and Kukai do," he admitted, not even bother to lie to her.

"Not Amu?" Sakura hummed. "She was your...I mean, Nadeshiko-san's best friend."

"Yes," nodded Nagihiko, "and I would hate to just take that away from her. I am waiting for a good time."

"Waiting too long will only hurt her more," the pinkette said in no uncertain terms. "You should just get it over with."

"I would...but I'm afraid," he confessed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Of what?" questioned the girl. Nagihiko shrugged and smiled calmly.

"I don't want her to hate me," he laughed quietly, though there was no humour in it. "Despite everything, I still consider her my best friend. It's just..."

"Complicated," Sakura finished for him. "I don't understand it, but I'll keep quiet."

"Thank you, Sakura," Nagihiko said gratefully, taking her hand. The next thing they knew, a snowball had smacked Nagihiko straight in the face.

"Sorry!" yelled Kukai, who was not looking at all apologetic. Nagihiko smiled, though it was more creepy than friendly, as he bent down to scoop up some snow.

"You will be," he said pleasantly, chasing after Kukai and throwing snowball after snowball at the older boy's head. Sakura laughed at their antics for a moment before she spotted Amu, who looked worried and dazed.

"Are you okay?" she asked her fellow pinkette quietly. Amu blinked and looked up, her eyes wide and swimming with conflict.

_'I should tell her about Ikuto,'_ Amu thought to herself, _'but what if she wants nothing to do with him? The last I saw, they weren't on good terms. What if she doesn't want to see him? I might drive her away again! Yaya would kill me! But what if she does want to see him? No, no way! She never wants to be around him – she's always saying he's around too much! If I tell her, she might feel like I'm forcing her to take him! She'll hate me! Sakura's so scary when she's angry, I can't get her angry, I just –'_

"Amu?" Sakura called, concern in her voice.

"I-It's nothing, Sakura," she laughed falsely. Sakura raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it. _'I have to keep this to myself. No one can know that Ikuto is at my house...in my room...sleeping in my bed...What am I gonna do?! What about food? Has he eaten anything?'_

Sakura backed away slowly as Amu returned to her previous state of daze and unawareness. That is, until Tadase returned and hovered over her, calling her name – which Sakura noticed saw still 'Hinamori-san' from him, a point that slightly confused her, as she had expected them to have progressed slightly since she last saw them.

"T-Tadase-kun?" Amu stuttered, jolting upright on the snow.

"You seem a bit out of sorts," he noticed worriedly.

"I-It's nothing, really," she assured him, smiling at everyone when she noticed Sakura, Rima and Kukai also giving her concerned looks. "Really, I'm fine!" she added with a big smile.

{-}

For the rest of the day, the group played in the snow. At first, Amu merely stood off to the side, but she suddenly got extremely hyped and was the most enthusiastic about building the giant snowman. Her attitude perked everyone else up, and soon they were all working on the snowman, except Yaya, who was building a smaller one of her own.

After the snowman was built, a snowball fight broke out, with Amu once again taking the lead on enthusiasm, though Sakura began to suspect she was just trying to tire out Ami so she could go home. Still, though, it was a lot of fun, and Sakura hardly noticed the time until it started to get dark.

"Saku-chan," Setsuko said to her quietly, "remember your roommates?"

"Oh, right," Sakura nodded. "Sorry, guys, but I have to go. I had a great time today, though!"

"Me too," smiled Tadase. "We should do this again before the snow melts."

"Yeah, yeah!" agreed Yaya, clinging to Sakura. "Do you have to go, Sakura-chan?"

"Afraid so, Yaya," she smiled. "I'll see you all tomorrow, though, okay?"

"Okay, Sakura-chan!" Yaya accepted, hugging her again before letting her go.

"See ya, Sakura," said Kukai, pulling the pinkette into another hug. Sakura waved to the other and headed off back home.

"I wonder what they'll be like," she mused, thinking on her new roommates as she hurried down the street.

{-}

Sakura paced back and forth across her living room floor, her eyes glancing every now and then to the clock on the wall. Her Charas sat on her coffee table, following her movements with their eyes. The pinkette paused, sighed, and continued pacing, her hands occasionally running through her hair. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, exhaling sharply through her nose.

_Knock-knock-knock_

"They're here," she mutter, her unwavering gaze stuck to the door.

"Get the door, Saku-chan!" cheered Katsumi, excited about who stood on the other side.

"Okay," Sakura responded meekly, shuffling towards the door. She took a deep breath and pulled the door open, emerald eyes meeting brown.

"Hello, Sakura."

"Y-You..." she trailed off, her eyes widening. Sakura stared at the figure in her doorway, her mouth open in shock. The person blinked and smirked, reaching over and tapping her chin to close her mouth for her.

"Kankuro and Temari will be here in a moment," he explained. "I went ahead to make sure you were actually, while they wanted to grab a couple of things from the moving van. Knowing how much you love snow, I'm surprised you're not out in it right now. We had to pull up a bit further down the street, due to parking issues," he said, pulling out his phone and texting his sister to let her know that the pinkette was home.

"S-Sasori-nii?" she stuttered, not expecting the tall redhead to be at her door.

"Gaara went for a walk," he continued talking as though he were an expected guest. "You know how he hates long car journeys. He should be here shortly. I, personally, wouldn't want to keep you waiting, but my little brother doesn't seem to share my love of punctuality."

"Not to be rude, but," Sakura bit her lip, "what are you guys doing here?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Sasori smiled at her.

"I was supposed to be meeting my new guardian..." she trailed off, looking at the twenty one-year-old with hope in her eyes.

"That would be me," he said calmly, "and, of course, I couldn't leave the others behind, what with them being minors."

"I guess that explains why this place is so big," Sakura nodded. "Oh, come in!"

"Thank you," Sasori said, bowing his head and stepping into his new home.

"Nice place," commented someone else. Sakura turned, seeing Kankuro and Temari, each holding a few bags. When she glanced at Sasori again, she noticed that he, too, had luggage with him.

"Hey, Sakura," greeted Temari as she placed her bags down to hug the younger girl. "Good to see you!" she laughed while releasing the pinkette, watching in amusement as Kankuro ran at Sakura and practically glomped her.

"I'm so glad we're living together," he sighed, moving back. "Gaara's been pouting since he found out you were leaving. Hopefully now he'll go back to just being sullen."

"Stop it," Temari glared, punching the brunette in the arm. He rubbed his new injury while Sasori cleared his throat.

"Why don't we get unpacked and I'll make us some tea," he suggested in a calm tone. "Hopefully, by then, we will no longer be waiting for Gaara," he added, an angry look in his eye when he said 'waiting'.

"Oh," Sakura perked up, "I'll make us all some tea. You three just focus on unpacking. There're five rooms, so we each have one."

"Thank you, Sakura," Sasori accepted. "That is very considerate of you."

The three left to find a room and unpack while Sakura breathed out a sigh of relief. After living alone for so long, it was enough of an adjustment getting used to Tsunade, but now she had four house mates. Sure, she lived with Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari, and then Mitsu later on, but they were an extension of herself more than house guests.

"Hey, Sakura," a small voice greeted. The pinkette looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Karasu, Hiruko," she greeted Kankuro and Sasori's Charas. _'If only Temari and Gaara had Charas, too. That would make this whole thing easier.'_

The Charas floated away to their owners and Sakura bit her lip, looking at her forever-unlocked window. She wondered how the Sabaku no siblings would react to Ikuto dropping in, but then she frowned. If he had not come within two weeks of her returning, she began to doubt he ever would.

An aching in her chest made her wince and she thought that this may be what heartbreak feels like.

She missed him.


	16. Seven Seas

Chapter Fifteen

As it turned out, staying with the Sabaku siblings was very loud.

Though Sasori was her official guardian, Temari was the one acting like the parent while the oldest sibling was more like the wise old uncle who would pop in every now and then with some off-the-wall advice. Kankuro was the older brother she never had, nor wanted, and Gaara… Well, Gaara was another story all together.

"I'm leaving!" Sakura called, pulling her shoes on at the door.

"Hold on one second, young lady!" yelled Temari, storming over. Her face was like thunder as she pulled something out from behind her back. "You can't leave without your lunch!" she chirped, the 'something' turning out to be a lunch box.

"O-Oh, thanks, Temari-nee," Sakura smiled, taking the lunch.

"You also can't leave without Gaara," she added, pushing her youngest brother towards Sakura.

"Huh?" the pinkette asked, confused, as she took in the sight of Gaara in the male version of her school uniform.

"I do attend school, Sakura," Gaara smirked, walking ahead of her.

"Have fun you two!" Temari yelled after them before turning to kick Kankuro out the door, off to Middle School.

"I know that," she huffed, "It just didn't occur to me that you might be going to my school."

"There's not really another school nearby," he shrugged. "Are you…okay with us being here?"

"Honestly?" she sighed. "It's a little strange, but I'm really glad. I was so worried that I'd just be cut off from everyone again when I left Gakure. I'd miss you all too much."

"When Sasori told me he'd gotten a job here, and that we were moving to be with you, I… I was happy, but I wasn't sure how you'd react," he admitted and Sakura smiled, holding his arm.

"I'm glad you're here, Gaara," she told him, and they continued their walk to school in silence.

"So, GaaSaku is becoming another possibility," hummed Setsuko, before she shook her head. "It doesn't have the same ring to it. Sakuto just seems…right."

"Oh please," scoffed Mari. "Ikuto hasn't shown his whiskers since we came back, but Kukai's been around constantly. Sakukai all the way!" she announced as she and Setsuko turned to Katsumi for a tie-breaker. The red Chara merely grinned cheekily.

"Sakuhiko," she giggled. The three began yelling at each other, arguing over while pairing would be ultimately better, but then Setsuko noticed that their youngest sister had yet to comment. She turned, looking for the gold Chara, before frowning.

"Where did Mitsu go?" she asked, her sister going quiet instantly.

{-}

On the other side of town, Mitsu was floating around with a frown on her face, following the pull she felt in her heart. She felt like she was missing something, and the only way to find it was to follow this feeling. She heard hissing coming from an alleyway and turned, her heart leaping up to her throat in fear.

"I-Ikuto?" she ventured a guess, hoping that it was the familiar boy with her slave – err, Yoru, tagging along. A cat leapt out of the alley and Mitsu squealed, flying away quickly.

She stopped on the next street, catching her breath, when something in a window caught her eye. It was a Chara, with black hair and grey eyes, and she was watching her. Frowning, Mitsu felt a connection flare between them.

"Y-You…"

{-}

"And we will be doing partnered projects," Nikaido announced. "I will read out your partnerships, and I want these projects completed by the end of next week."

Sakura zoned out for a moment, keeping an ear out for her name, but she was too worried about Mitsu to focus. Apparently, the gold Chara had wandered off on her walk to school, none of the others seeing her go or noticing which way she had gone. The pinkette knew she was okay, she just had a feeling that she was, but she was still worried nonetheless.

When Mari had gotten lost, the pinkette was at least comforted by the idea that she was with Suu and the two could look after each other. Mitsu was all alone, and no one knew where to even begin looking for her. Sighing in sheer frustration, Sakura looked down at her notebook, her eyes widening when she noticed what she had been doodling.

It was a picture of Ikuto.

"Haruno Sakura and Hinamori Amu," Nikaido called, the two pinkettes glancing at each other. Sakura offered Amu a small smile as she tore the page out of her notebook and crumpled it up, stuffing it in her bag. Amu, meanwhile, was panicking.

'_I can't take her to my house to do the project!'_ she worried, _'Ikuto will be there, and then she'll hate me! Maybe we could do it at her house? Where does she even live now?'_

The bell rung and Nikaido wrapped up the class, Sakura approaching Amu.

"Hey, could we do the project at your house?" she requested, not noticing the look on Amu's face. "My place is kinda crowded. Would tonight be okay?"

"T-T-Tonight?" Amu stuttered, trying to think up excuses.

"Yeah," nodded Sakura. "I know you have Guardian duties, but I was thinking later on? Maybe after dinner?"

'_After dinner?'_ Amu repeated in her head. _'That'll give me plenty of time to hide Ikuto! My parents are out, too, so we can just stay downstairs!'_

"Uhh, Amu?" Sakura called, worried when the taller girl zoned out.

"Y-Yeah," Amu chirped. "Tonight will be great. Come to mind around six?"

"Sounds good," smiled Sakura, tilting her head to see Gaara waiting for her at the door to the classroom. "See you later, Amu!"

"See you later!"

"So, you're working with Hinamori-san?" Gaara asked with a raised eyebrow. He was in the other class, so they weren't going to be working together on anything, really.

"Yeah," Sakura sighed. "It should be fun. We never really got close, so this could be our chance to be better friends."

"Or a complete disaster," Gaara smirked. "From what you've told me, every time the two of you get closer, something happens to screw everything up."

"…That's more likely," agreed Sakura with a small laugh. She glanced behind her subtly, making sure Katsumi, Setsuko and Mari were there. When she saw all three, she mentally sighed in relief. She would need to think of some way to ditch Gaara and go out looking for Mitsu.

"So, I've got to do a project with a guy from my class," Gaara interrupted her planning. "He said to just come over straight after school," he added, nodding to a boy waiting at the gates. "Is that alright?"

"You'll be fine getting home after?" asked Sakura.

"Yes, I think I know the way back by now," Gaara nodded. "I'll see you later?"

"I'll be at Amu's later," Sakura corrected, "but I'll see you at home this evening."

"See you then," he smirked, walking over to the other boy. Sakura was relieved that she didn't have to lie or come up with some random excuse to not see him.

After making a quick stop at her home to change, Sakura was back out on the street, searching for Mitsu. Her Charas surrounded her, trying to sense their younger sister, but were having minimal luck.

"Come on, Mitsu," Sakura whispered, "Where are you?"

After hours of searching, Sakura realised that she was going to be late meeting up with Amu. The last thing she wanted was for the other pinkette to get involved, so she turned and headed towards Amu's house. When she arrived, she hadn't even knocked before Amu was calling out to her.

"Sakura!" Amu yelled, getting her attention. The taller pinkette was panicking – she hadn't hidden Ikuto yet.

"Oh, I thought you would be home by now," Sakura said, surprised.

"Yeah, but there was this thing going on with this cat-eared girl," Amu shrugged, not noting the way Sakura's eyes smile faltered when she said 'cat-eared'.

"I heard about that," Setsuko nodded. "She thinks she's some sort of super heroine, correct?"

"Yep," nodded Miki. "She's nice, but a little misguided."

"Isn't everyone?" giggled Katsumi.

"What's with the food?" she asked, glancing at the taiyaki bag. Amu just laughed nervously as she unlocked her door and stepped inside, freezing as soon as she saw her home. "Uhh, Amu?"

There, in her living room, wrapped up in strings of yarn, was Ikuto and Yoru.

Sakura was behind her, she being the only thing blocking the smaller pinkette and Ikuto.

Sometimes, Amu felt like someone was out to get her.

"W-W-W-W-W-Wait out here, Sakura!" she yelled suddenly, darting inside and slamming the door behind her.

"Huh?" Sakura tilted her head, confused. She turned to her Charas, all of whom just shrugged, echoing her confusion.

"Now just one second," Amu growled, standing with her hands on her hips and glaring like a demon. "Just what the heck are you two playing around for?"

"…Crap," Ikuto and Yoru muttered.

{-}

When Amu opened the door again, Sakura stepped inside and raised an eyebrow.

"I can see why you shut the door on me, but don't people usually try to clean up a little if they're embarrassed about their house?" Sakura asked, surveying the room. It wasn't that bad, really, it just seemed to be all tangled in yarn.

"I was just surprised!" Amu lied. "I guess Ami made a mess after I left for school, and I didn't know about it," she laughed nervously. Sakura shrugged and looked around.

"Looks like the kind of mess a cat would make," observed Mari, raising an eyebrow and not noticing how Amu tensed up.

"Did you get a pet, Amu?" asked Katsumi, agreeing with her sister.

"No, it must have been Ami," she insisted. Sakura merely shrugged, going along with the lie.

"Want some help cleaning up?"

{-}

Ikuto sat upstairs, frozen, his eyes wide.

He could hear her, hear her voice. Sakura was downstairs, talking and laughing with Amu, oblivious that he was anywhere nearby. Amu was hiding him from her.

The teen wondered at that for a moment. Amu seemed to panic when she saw him there, and shoved him upstairs without a second word. She didn't want Sakura to see him, and while he knew it would be strange for him to be in Amu's house, he didn't know why the taller pinkette was so dead-set on keeping Sakura oblivious.

He stood, pressing his ear to the door, and sighed.

He could hear her voice.

{-}

When Amu's parents came home, thankfully after they had finished cleaning, Sakura attempted to leave. They hadn't really gotten to work on their project yet, but she knew they had plenty of time. Still, the moment she mentioned leaving, Amu's mother was having none of it.

"I insist you stay for dinner, and I'll drive you home after," she said, and there was no arguing with that. So, Sakura had called Sasori to let him know what was going on.

"Are we still alright to study down here?" Sakura asked Amu, eyeing Ami on the sofa watching _Cat's Ear_ on the TV. Her Charas were with Amu's, watching TV with Ami and joining in on her playing. Sakura smiled at the sight.

"It'll probably get too noisy down here," her mother interrupted. "You two should just go study up in Amu's room. I'll call you down when dinner's ready."

"M-My room?" Amu yelped, her brain shutting down just when she needed it to think of an excuse.

"Yes, Amu," her mother nodded. "Go on now."

"C'mon," Sakura prompted. "We should be able to at least get a basic plan done tonight."

"Y-Yeah," Amu sighed, leading Sakura upstairs. She paused outside her door and banged her fist on it. "Well, this is my room. I will now enter it with Sakura, and we will be able to study without _anyone_ being in there to cause any trouble!" she yelled. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Everything okay, Amu?" she asked as Amu smiled slightly.

"I hope so," she replied, opening her door. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no sign of Ikuto, though she briefly wondered where he was hiding.

{-}

Ikuto watched from a gap in the closet door as Sakura sat with Amu on the bed, books on their laps.

She hadn't changed much.

Her hair still fell to the bottom on her shoulder blades, just as pink as the last time he saw it, and her eyes were still bright green and beautiful.

Still, he noticed a sadness in her posture that he had only seen once before.

When he had walked away from her.

}-{

_"Ikuto," she breathed; this one quiet word was enough to draw him out of his own mind._

_His fingers stilled, and Sakura wished for the sake of the beautiful music he was creating that she had not said a word._

_"Sakura," he said, almost confused by her sudden appearance. His eyes glanced around, and he seemed surprised to see the setting sun. She wondered how long he'd been here, playing to an audience of trees and grass._

_A moment of still silence passed between them as they just looked at each other._

_Sakura opened her mouth to talk._

_Ikuto picked up his violin case and turned to leave._

_She watched him go, her mouth still agape and her eyes wide. All she could see was his back as he walked away from her. Tears filled her eyes – he was __**walking away**__._

}-{

He shook his head, banishing the memory, and he sighed silently.

To be near her, to see her, he missed her so much. He wished more than anything to just leave his hiding spot and hold her, tell her how much he needed her and that he never wanted to be apart from her again.

Still, Amu was keeping them apart for a reason.

A reason he wanted to know.

{-}

Amu had seen him, peeking out of her closet door. She was nervous, worried that Sakura would notice too, but the other girl seemed almost oblivious to his staring. Subtly, Amu gestured for him to close the closet door completely, but he only gestured back to Sakura.

Shaking her head, Amu sighed.

"Hey, Sakura," she began, guessing at what Ikuto wanted. In truth, she wanted to know too. "Have you…Have you seen Ikuto at all?" she began bluntly, but knew that this would just be a clumsy segue into what she really wanted to ask.

"No," Sakura said, her entire posture wilting at the question. "I don't understand why, either. Normally, he'd be annoying me the second I stepped foot into town, but I haven't seen him since I got back. Why, have you?"

"N-No," Amu lied. "I was just wondering, since you two seemed to be on kinda shaky terms when you left."

"We…We were, weren't we?" she gasped. "You think that's why? Is he mad at me?"

"Y-You're not mad at him?"

{-}

Ikuto stopped breathing when he heard Amu's question. The girl had taken the hint, changing the topic so he could know exactly what Sakura thought about him right now, but he hadn't expected to feel so much fear while awaiting her reply.

"I…I don't know," Sakura sighed. "I don't think so. I honestly just…miss him. I want to see him again, and I'm worried about him. He sent me…never mind, I just miss him. I…I'm confused, actually. I don't know how I feel right now."

His letters. He'd forgotten about the letters.

She wasn't going to tell Amu, and for that he was grateful. Amu was already too involved, what with him staying with her, and he didn't want her knowing anything else. Still, now that he knew Sakura missed him, perhaps a change of address was in order?

"Still, I don't know what would happen if he just turned up at my house right now," she continued with a laugh. "I'm living with some people from Gakure, and they're all pretty protective. You met Gaara, right?"

"The redhead?" Amu asked. "Yeah, he's pretty intense."

"He's the sane one," Sakura smiled. "If Ikuto just popped in outta nowhere, I think Gaara would kill him, but Temari would probably disembowel him and Kankuro would turn his corpse into a puppet."

"That's…grim," Amu shuddered, not knowing that Ikuto had just done the same.

"Yeah," the smaller pinkette nodded. "He'd be lucky if Sasori was out. I don't even wanna think what Sasori would do to him."

{-}

After much insistence, Sakura was able to walk home, despite the late hour.

She argued – lied – that she didn't live too far, and preferred to walk. In truth, she was just hoping to search for Mitsu some more before she had to go home.

Following a gut instinct, Sakura turned down the street the opposite way to her home, her three Charas hurrying after her.

{-}

"W-Wait!" cried Mitsu, floating after the grey Chara. She was a sly little thing, and Mitsu had been chasing her all day, but never seemed able to catch up.

"Mitsu!" called a familiar voice, and the gold Chara turned. She spotted her sisters, all three of them, with Sakura running along behind them.

"Where have you been?" asked Sakura, worry and anger in her tone. "You just disappeared!"

"I know, and I'm sorry, but…" Mitsu trailed off, glancing down the street the grey Chara had flow down, her eyes widening when she saw that she was still there, staring at the gather. "Look!"

Four sets of eyes, two green, one red, and one blue, swung over to where Mitsu was pointing, and they all froze.

The Chara was a girl, with hair as dark as Katsumi, Setsuko, Mari, and Mitsu's, and dark grey eyes. Her hair was long, and all flipped over to the left side of her head, a large silver circlet looping around her head, under the flip of hair. On the right side of the circlet was a multi-coloured triskel, each of the three swirls a different colour – one red, one blue, and one green – and the centre was gold.

She wore a black dress with a shoulder sleeve that flicked off her right shoulder, the left side of her torso uncovered by the dress, but clothed in a light grey tank top. The skirt of the dress had three silver hoops that held the material out in a bell-shape, which stopped at her knee. On her feet were light grey boots.

"I know you," Sakura said, her voice hardly above a whisper. As she stared at this Chara, a burst of joy sprung from her chest. The Chara smiled and floated towards her.

"It's nice to meet you, Saku-chan" she greeted, her voice soft and happy. "My name is Nanami."


	17. Nothing of Me

**A/N: Merry Christmas (Happy Holidays, Yuletide Greetings, Good Saturnalia, etc.)! Enjoy!  
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Chapter Sixteen

Five.

Five Charas.

Katsumi, her wish to be outgoing, confident, and bold.

Setsuko, her wish to be more feminine, independent, and mature.

Mari, her wish to be brave, and protective, and strong.

Mitsu, her wish to be more loving, to be warm, and motherly.

Now Nanami – what did she represent? Sakura hadn't wished to be more or less anything, and yet here she was. She was smiling, her eyes full of laughter and life, and Sakura…Sakura saw nothing of herself in there.

"It's nice to meet you, Nanami," she greeted, taking in this Chara that did not feel like her own.

"I told you guys I was on to something," sang Mitsu as she hugged her younger sister. "She's the sweetest little thing, too!"

"Didn't she spend all day running from you?" asked Mari, laughing nervously as Mitsu huffed, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, why did you do that?" she asked Nanami, who only shrugged slightly.

"I thought it would be fun," she explained, offering no further insight. Sakura tilted her head in confusion.

"Where…Where have you been? How long ago did you hatch?" she asked.

"A few weeks ago, and I've been staying with a friend," smiled Nanami sweetly.

"What friend?" the pinkette probed further.

"Me."

{-}

Ikuto groaned as he hauled himself up from Amu's bed. He noticed the food left on the plate for him, with the note telling him to eat if he was hungry. Feeling just that, the teen helped himself, handing Yoru the smaller portion.

"Well, at least she's finally feeding us, nya!" Yoru said happily, munching on his rice ball.

"Feeding…us…" Ikuto repeated slowly, pausing before biting again. He finished his food and sighed. "We have to go."

"Nya?" Yoru sounded, thoroughly confused.

With much effort, Ikuto managed to get out of the bed and stand on his own feet, though that alone took more out of him than he thought it would. Huffing slightly from the exertion, he paused to catch his breath before walking to the window, opening it quietly.

"We've been here too long," he decided.

"Okay, nya," Yoru nodded. "We going to Sakura's?"

"No," Ikuto frowned, recalling the smaller pinkette. "She…She doesn't need me around right now, not with her living situation. I doubt she'll care much for hiding me like Amu does," he mused with a smile. "I do…wish I could see her, though."

"Let's go, then, nya!" decided the Chara, floating out of the open window. "I can find Setsuko, and she'll be with Sakura, nya!"

"No," he hissed. "I need to leave her alone. This…dealing with me is the last thing she needs right now."

"Ikuto…" Yoru worried, watching his master struggle out of the window and down onto the street. Slowly, and with frequent pauses to catch his breath, Ikuto walked into the busier part of town.

{-}

"U-Utau?" Sakura recognised with some shock. "You've been looking after Nanami?"

"I didn't know she was yours, at first," replied the blonde, smiling as Nanami came to float over to her. "When I realised, I figured I could keep her safe for you. She got along with Il and El very well."

"Kinda strange, really," snickered Il. "Considering how different we are."

"Yeah, it is a little weird," agreed El. "It must be the power of love!"

"…Eh?" her sister grunted, grimacing at the announcement.

"You're both wonderful," praised Nanami with a slightly giggle. "It'll be nice to get to know my sisters now, though."

"I'll miss you," Utau sighed. "Remember to visit."

"All the time, too!" Il warned. "Not any of that once-a-month crap!"

"And we'll visit with you, too!" promised El.

"Of course," nodded the Chara happily. "Thank you very much for letting me stay with you!"

"Take care of her, Haruno," warned the singer as the three Charas hugged out their good byes. She pressed a grey egg into the younger girl's hand and turned.

"I will," promised the pinkette, watching in wonder as the blonde walked away.

{-}

"This is where we all live!" announced Katsumi as they walked into Sakura's house. "There're a few other Charas here as well, and they belong to Saku-chan's friends. They're really nice!"

"I'm sure," nodded Nanami with a smile. They walked into Sakura's room and the pinkette moved to place Nanami's Egg on her dresser with the others, having to move them all closer to fit hers in.

"This is where the girls sleep," Sakura called over, gesturing to the cluster of eggs. "Yours is here too, now, I guess," she smiled awkwardly.

"Thank you," said Nanami gratefully, beaming at her mistress. With a small nod, Sakura approached the group of Charas.

"I'm making dinner tonight, so why don't you four give Nanami the lay of the land while I cook?" she suggested, her four older Charas agreeing enthusiastically.

With a small smile, Sakura left the room and headed to the kitchen.

{-}

Sasori and Kankuro stared over Sakura's shoulder throughout dinner, trying to work out just how this pink-haired girl managed to have _five_ Charas. Karasu and Hikuro remained by their masters – when they weren't being ordered around by Mitsu – while Sakura's Charas floated all around her, chattering and giggling away.

"Oh, Sakura, you got a parcel delivered today," Temari said suddenly, handing a small package to Sakura over the table. Eye lighting up in excitement, Sakura tore open the paper and smiled.

"It's my old phone," she laughed. "Tsunade must have sent it."

"Why did Tsunade-sama have your old phone?" asked Kankuro, his mouth full of food.

"Long story," Sakura smirked, skimming through her contacts. _'Fujisaki Nadeshiko,'_ she read mentally, changing it to read 'Nagihiko', _'Hinamori Amu, Hotori Tadase, huh?'_

There, on her phone, was the contact '_Jerk Face Heartbreaker'_.

She blinked, recalling when she had changed Ikuto's contact to the before the thought really hit her.

'_I have Ikuto's number.'_

"Do you hear that?" asked Gaara suddenly, glancing in Sakura's direction.

"Hear what?" she asked, tilting her head away from her phone, placing it down when she realised how rude she was checking it at the table.

"I thought I heard…voices," he frowned. Sakura shrugged, though she was now looking at Gaara with interest.

'_Is it possible?'_ she wondered, hope blooming in her heart. Nanami's eyes shot over to Sakura, holding her breath in anticipation. _'No way,'_ she rejected with a sigh. _'It would be too much of a coincidence for all __**three**__ Sabaku brothers to have Charas.'_

Unnoticed, Nanami sighed, shaking her head.

{-}

School the following day was remarkably uneventful.

Sakura managed to catch up with Amu, the taller pinkette telling her all about a new friend name Choco while they worked on their project. Apparently, this new friend liked to dress up in cat ears and pretend to be a super heroine, but Sakura shrugged off the strangeness. Just another day here, really.

They managed to get quite a bit done of their project before Amu noticed Nanami.

"Eh?" she gasped. "You have another Chara?"

"Yeah, her name is Nanami," Sakura introduced with a smile. "Don't you? We usually have them around the same time."

"No, I don't," Amu sighed. "I can't even get Dia out of her egg most of the time," she added, eyeing Mitsu enviously. A smug smirk almost escaped onto Sakura's face, but she pushed it down.

'_Not so bad for ole' second best, eh?'_ she mused to herself. "She just kinda showed up yesterday, but she hatched while I was in Gakure. I somehow left her egg behind when I moved. Luckily, Utau found her and looked after her."

"Utau?" Amu repeated, shocked.

"I know, right?" Sakura smiled. "It was really nice of her. She still seems to be a bit on edge around me, though."

"That's because you're competition," laughed Amu, though she went quiet when she saw the look on Sakura's face.

"Hardly," she scoffed. "I still haven't seen Ikuto since I got back. I think he's avoiding me."

"M-Maybe he just doesn't know you're back yet?" suggested Amu, though she knew this to be a lie. Sakura just sighed, shrugging, her hand finding her phone in her pocket.

"Maybe."

{-}

Successfully dodging the Guardians, Sakura left the school building and pulled out her phone.

"What're you doing Saku-chan?" asked Mari, leaning in closer as Sakura edited Ikuto's contact back to his name.

"I'm calling Ikuto," she said with a smile, dialling the number and holding the phone up to her ear. Nanami watched with interest as Sakura smiled softly, listening to the ringing.

"_You've reached Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Leave a message_."

Slightly stunned, Sakura pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up without leaving a message. She blinked twice before trying again.

"_You've reached Tsukiyomi Ikuto –_"

Hanging up again, Sakura frowned. Nanami bit her lip, glancing between the pinkette and the phone as she tried again.

"_You've reached –_"

She hung up with a growl of frustration, gripping the phone tightly in her hand.

"He won't pick up," she stated, though all of her Charas knew this already.

She held her phone towards her again, ready to try one final time, but she was interrupted.

Feeling that familiar jolt that signified a Nazo Chara, Sakura sighed, placing her phone back in her pocket. Nanami closed her eyes in defeat.

{-}

"I won't let you get in my way!" the cat-girl yelled as her strange dinosaur-monster charged at Amu.

Taking in the scene, Sakura was a little stunned to say the least.

Floating high above the group was a person she could only assume was Choco, Amu's new cosplay-cat-friend, though she was now a Nazo Chara. By her side was a giant toy dinosaur, which had been brought to life by the Chara magic, and it was now attacking Amu. Crowded around the taller pinkette were the newly arrived Guardians, just in time to save her from an attack.

"Holy Crown!" called a Chara-changed Tadase, blocking the monster with a flash of golden light.

"Sakura, little help?" asked Amu, having noticed her fellow pinkette as she turned to Ran, ready to transform. With a short glance at Nanami, Sakura smiled.

"Wanna?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at her youngest Chara, who nodded happily. "Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura yelled, her hands twisting in front of her heart.

After a brief pause, Sakura realised that nothing was happening, and she looked towards her Chara in disbelief. Nanami seemed just as confused, simply frowning sadly at her mistress.

"Saku-chi, what's the hold up?" called Yaya, who had just attacked with her duckies. With a worried frown, Sakura looked to Setsuko and tried again.

"Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock!" Sakura cried, twisting her hands in front of her heart, but still nothing happened. "Watashi no Kokoro: Unlock," she attempted with Katsumi, but it would still not work. "What's happened to me?" she whimpered, looking between her Charas.

"Sakura?" Nagihiko, the only one not transformed and battling the monster, called to her, having seen her trouble. She looked at him, fear in her eyes, before turning and running.

Sakura remembered the last time she had been unable to connect with her Charas. It was when she had the ring, and they soon became X-Charas. She was scared, terrified, that it was happening again.

{-}

When they all got home, Sakura sat on her bed, watching her Charas interact.

Katsumi laughed at something Mari said, her eyes closed in joy and Sakura recognised it as something she did from time to time. Setsuko was giggling quietly, though with a tilt to her head that the pinkette immediately realised she herself often did. Mari was crossing her arms, a smug look on her face as she soaked in all the positive attention, something Sakura was guilty of also.

Nanami sat, looking between her sister with a look of joy and wonder in her eyes that Sakura found completely foreign. Her smile was beautiful and contagious and nothing at all like the pinkette's small, half-grin. No matter how hard she looked, Sakura could not find anything of herself in the new Chara.

She saw a beauty she wished she could hold herself with, and an ease that she had never managed even to fake. She saw pure joy and contentment, and realised that she couldn't remember the last time she had felt either.

"Saku-chan?" called Katsumi, realising that her mistress was zoning out.

"Yeah?" Sakura replied, a little dazed.

"Everything alright?" questioned Mari, concerned now as well.

Sakura met Nanami's eye and saw her own reflected in the giant, joyous orbs.

She looked sad.

She had nothing of Nanami in her.


End file.
